More than 350 restaurant founders and leadership teams will gather in Salt Lake City next month to learn the critical steps necessary to evolve from promising emerging concepts to powerhouse brands.
Hosted by the Savory Fund, the 2021 Restaurantology Conference is scheduled for Sept. 28 at the University of Utah’s Rice Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. Led by more than 100 executives and team members from Savory’s extensive operations and investment teams, the daylong event will immerse participants in an intensive series of topics and discussions focused on scaling-up for success, getting operations and company culture in order, and maximizing profitability. Andrew K. Smith, Managing Partner and co-founder of the Savory Fund, will also share the art of raising money and provide tips and tricks to landing an investor.
“We started Restaurantology in 2019 and had great reviews from the more than 200 operators who attended; last year’s conference was an even greater success, despite having to go virtual,” says Smith. “This year, we’re thrilled to bring everyone back together at such a beautiful venue. We are assembling an incredible line-up of restaurant operators and veterans and a robust agenda that we believe will equip attendees with everything they need to successfully take their brands to the next level, and well beyond.”
Confirmed speakers for the 3rd annual conference include:
- Mary Beth Carpenter, VP of Customer Leadership, Coca-Cola North America
- Jimmy Copeland, VP of Emerging Brands, Pepsico
- Brandon Hunt, Co-Founder, Via 313 Pizzeria
- RJ Melman, Founder of Lettuce Entertain You
- Otto Othman, Co-Founder, Pincho
- Karla Perez-Larrago, National VP, Business Development, Sysco
- Ashish Seth, Managing Partner, Arlington Capital Partners
- Shauna Smith, Chief Executive Officer, Savory
- Tyler Nelson, Chief Financial Officer, Savory
- Josh Boshard, Chief Operating Officer, Savory
The 2021 Restaurantology agenda will cover the gamut of topics that every emerging restaurant leader should consider as they chart their future growth path, including:
- What it means to “have your house in order” to be ready for an investor
- Properly scaling for profitable growth
- Building a culture that fosters talent retention and ensures high performance
- Understanding margins, margin ranges and which margins matter most
- Negotiating food costs and logistics with vendors
- Effectively engineering your menu and avoiding menu creep
- Which technologies are most important vs. those that can wait until you are ready
- Finding and landing the right investment partner/mentor
“I can confidently say that this year’s Restaurantology Conference should be a must-attend event for every founder and leader of a growing restaurant brand,” says Savory Fund Managing Partner Greg Warnock. “There will be no more inspiring or productive date on your 2021 calendar than September 28th. You’ll leave Salt Lake armed with invaluable insights, potentially lucrative new relationships and several new mentors and friends in the industry.”
This year’s Restaurantology attendees also won’t want to miss a major, surprise announcement that the Savory Fund is saving for the end of the Conference. It could be transformational for one, if not several, restaurant brands alike.
Sponsors of 2021 Restaurantology include Coca-Cola, Ecolab, Pepsico, Sysco and Arlington Capital Advisors.
2021 Restaurantology Conference to Be Held in Salt Lake City in September
