Speakers

Jim Bitticks is the President and Chief Operating Officer of Dave’s Hot Chicken. He oversees the day-to-day operation of the company with direct oversight over operations, training, procurement, construction, marketing, and technology. Jim joined the Dave’s team when there were just four restaurants open and has helped grow the brand to nearly 300 locations across the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and the Middle East. In addition, Jim is a franchisee of Dave’s Hot Chicken with four locations currently open in the Inland Empire of Southern California. Prior to his current role, Jim was the Chief Restaurant Officer and EVP of Operations, Training, and Construction for Blaze Pizza, and oversaw the successful growth of that brand from two restaurants to three hundred seventy-two restaurants before making the move to Dave’s in 2020.

Matt Brunk is the co-founder and Chief Content Officer of Training Simplified, with a career shaped by working inside some of the most influential restaurant brands in the world. He led content and training initiatives at Chipotle, helping scale leadership development and internal communication through story driven, high impact media. Today, Matt brings that experience to Training Simplified, producing edutainment content that captures a brand so clearly it is used across global employee conferences, internal training programs, and social media marketing. His work supports brands including Din Tai Fung and Mendocino Farms, enabling organizations to turn one powerful story into cohesive content that every department can leverage.

Before joining Networld Media Group as Vice President of Events, Cherryh Cansler spent several years as VP of Editorial managing the Networld’s nine B2B publications. Throughout her 20-year career as a journalist, she’s written about a variety of topics, ranging from the restaurant industry and technology to health and fitness news. Her byline has appeared in a plethora of newspapers, magazines and websites, including Forbes, The Kansas City Star and American Fitness magazine. She also serves as the managing editor for FastCasual.com.

Jeff Chandler is CEO & President of HiBar Hospitality Group, which includes Hopdoddy Burger Bar and Grub Burger Bar. With over 20 years of industry experience, Jeff is known for leading high-growth, people-driven restaurant brands. He previously served as CEO of Opper Melang Restaurants and was a partner at RAM Restaurant Group. Since joining Hopdoddy in 2016, Jeff has helped scale the brand into a top-tier better-burger concept, celebrated for its scratch kitchens, local flair, and team-first culture. A recipient of CHART’s Commitment to People Award, Jeff is widely respected for his transparent leadership and passion for hospitality. He believes great restaurants are built on strong teams, clear purpose, and authentic guest experiences.

“Pinky" Cole Hayes is a Jamaican-American restaurateur, author, community activist, and owner of the Slutty Vegan restaurant chain and Bar Vegan in Atlanta, Georgia. Cole Hayes is a culinary disruptor in the industry, transforming America's view of plant-based fast food and striving to make plant-based eating delicious, accessible, and enjoyable for vegans and flexitarians alike. In addition to her work in the food industry, Pinky is also a philanthropist and head of The Pinky Cole Foundation, which is committed to uplifting marginalized and underrepresented communities and breaking the cycle of poverty by providing access to resources and education to pursue their entrepreneurial goals. Pinky has been named to Restaurant Hospitality’s 2021 Power List, Forbes Next 1000, Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top 100 Powerful Women in Business List, LA Wire Influential Women of 2020, PETA’s 2021 Most Beautiful Vegan Celebrities List and Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 40 Under 40 List.

Courtney Crocker is a national accounts executive at Visual Graphic Systems, an employee-owned company specializing in branded environments, signage, and experiential rollouts for some of the most recognizable retail and restaurant brands in the country. With a background in business development, operations, and client strategy, Courtney has spent her career helping growing brands turn ideas into scalable, real-world experiences. Known for her relationship-driven approach and ability to bridge creative vision with execution, Courtney works closely with founders, operators, and leadership teams to bring brand stories to life across physical spaces. She is passionate about building strong partnerships, simplifying complex processes, and helping brands grow thoughtfully without losing what makes them special.

Andrew Hart is the co-founder of Main Street Menu Club. Since 2012, he and his team have partnered with hundreds of short-staffed marketing teams to help restaurants evolve from a “group of restaurants” into a centralized restaurant group. Main Street Menu Club is a Swiss Army Knife for 5-10 unit operators, providing the tools, technology and the team to meet marketing deadlines, and scale without the expense of full-time staff.

Derrick Hayes is a multi-million-dollar entrepreneur, philanthropist, and franchising visionary who has redefined the fast-casual dining space with his nationally celebrated brand, Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks. What began in 2014 as a small operation inside a gas station—built in honor of his late father, “Big Dave”, has evolved into a cultural movement and one of the most talked-about food brands in the country. From being named one of the Top 10 Sandwiches in the World by the World Food Championships to being recognized by Forbes in the 2021 Next 1000 list, Hayes has turned Big Dave’s into more than just a restaurant, it’s a symbol of resilience, ownership, and community empowerment. In 2025, Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks made history by landing the #6 spot on the Fast Casual Top 100 Movers & Shakers list, making Derrick the highest-ranked Black entrepreneur in the list’s history. No other Black-owned brand has ever broken into the top 10, and Derrick’s accomplishment marks a new standard for culture, legacy, and leadership in the industry.

Abhinav Kapur is the co-founder and CEO of Bikky, a Customer Data Platform (CDP) built exclusively for multi-unit restaurants. Bikky integrates across all in-store and off-premise channels to help brands understand how marketing, menu, and operational decisions impact guest frequency and lifetime value. This empowers everyone from the C-Suite to the marketing team to make better, data-driven decisions across the guest experience. Bikky powers data-based decisions for brands like MOD Pizza, Dave's Hot Chicken, SPB Hospitality, Krystal, and Eggs Up Grill, and thousands of other locations across the U.S.

Dr. Emily Williams Knight’s Ed.D., career is defined by her unwavering passion for innovation, her dedication to advocacy, and her ability to amplify the voices of others. Whether addressing global audiences, influencing legislation, or leading through crisis, she exemplifies what it means to be a transformational and inclusive leader in every role she undertakes. Knight has over 20 years of global experience driving innovation and transformation across industries. Since May 2019, she has served as the President and CEO of the Texas Restaurant Association and Foundation, representing 58,000 restaurants that employ 1.5 million Texans and generate $106 billion in annual sales. Under her leadership, the Association has achieved historic legislative success. A nationally recognized speaker, Dr. Knight has established herself as a powerful voice for the restaurant and foodservice sectors, consistently championing policies to support the industry’s growth and resilience.

Brandon Knudsen is the Co-Founder and CEO of Ziggi’s Coffee, a fast-growing specialty coffee and beverage brand built on community, consistency, and people-first leadership. Alongside his wife and business partner, Camrin Knudsen, Brandon has scaled the company from a single neighborhood coffee shop into a nationally expanding franchise system while staying deeply rooted in its founding values. As a founder, Brandon brings a practical, relationship-driven approach to growth, with a focus on building strong teams, sustainable systems, and meaningful local impact.

Adam Merlino grew up next door to his family's Italian restaurant—a fourth-generation operation where he learned early that success in this business comes down to the details nobody sees. He trained at Le Cordon Bleu and spent years as a working chef in hotels, restaurants, and cruise ships before leading nutrition services for a Colorado school district and the athletic training table at the University of Colorado. Today, Adam brings that operational perspective to Oil Solutions Group, helping multi-unit restaurant operators reduce costs through smarter fryer oil management. He's spent years in this niche—including previous work with closed loop fryer oil systems—because he believes the fundamentals still matter most.

Don “Skeeter” Miller is the Owner and President of County Line Barbecue Restaurants, FlyRite Chicken, Side Door Liquor Store, and County Line Air Ribs, with operations throughout Texas and New Mexico. A lifelong restaurateur and respected industry leader, Skeeter has spent more than 50 years building iconic restaurant brands while advocating for the hospitality industry at the local, state, and national levels.

Zack Oates is an author, husband, father, entrepreneur, and hot tub aficionado (but not in that order, necessarily). He grew up in restaurants before getting into startups. He was voted Top 100 Entrepreneurs, rang the NASDAQ bell, won the world’s biggest business competition, has been to 50 countries, and started 3 companies. He went on over 1,000 dates before he got married and wrote a book, “Dating Never Works…Until it Does.” He currently is Founder and CEO of Ovation, the no. 1 restaurant feedback platform in America, voted Top 50 Most Influential Supplier by Nation’s Restaurant News, and host of “Give an Ovation: A Podcast for Restaurants.”

Jeffrey Perera isn’t just the name behind Jeff’s Bagel Run — he’s the heart and soul of the brand. As Co-Founder and Vice President, Jeff has been leading the charge since day one, turning a home kitchen passion project into a fast-growing bagel sensation. Since opening the first official Jeff’s Bagel Run location in Ocoee, Florida in 2021, Jeff has stayed committed to what makes the brand special: kettle-boiled bagels made fresh every morning. Before taking on the bagel world, Jeff built a career in leadership, serving as Regional Vice President at Atria Senior Living, where he managed operations and nurtured high-performing teams. His people-first approach continues to shape the culture at Jeff’s Bagel Run — where great bagels and great hospitality go hand in hand.

Phil Smith is the Director of Marketing at Upstream Hospitality Group, leading an in-house, shared marketing team that supports a growing portfolio of 24 locations. He drives strategy and execution for flagship brands Tap Room and Bango, spanning brand initiatives, promotions, loyalty, in-store marketing, and off-premise growth. Phil oversees multi-channel programs across paid media, social, email and SMS, and partner platforms, translating business goals into operator-ready campaigns that scale across multiple concepts. He leverages Upstream’s restaurant and marketing tech stack—POS, online ordering, delivery marketplaces, CRM, and analytics—to develop a holistic understanding of guest behavior and marketing performance, then turns those insights into playbooks and reporting that drive results. He’s passionate about clear systems, practical measurement, and scalable processes that keep teams aligned.

John Smolen is the SVP of Sales, Customer Support, & Marketing for Atmosphere TV the global leader in streaming tv for businesses with a career shaped by working with some of the world’s leading social media & entertainment brands like Facebook, Google, Spotify, HBO, the New York Times, & ViacomCBS. Today, John brings that experience to Atmosphere TV helping brands grow revenue by providing more entertaining and engaging experiences in-store.

Clean Eatz co-founder Evonne Varady launched the business alongside her husband, Don, in 2013 with a mission to “Change Livez” through clean, balanced food, thought-provoking education and motivational support that inspires results. As a personal trainer who wondered why her clients in her kickboxing group were working so hard and not losing weight the idea of creating Clean Eatz was born. She began prepping and packaging healthy meals for them, and six weeks later, they had all lost weight. The prepared meals were wildly successful and before long, she was making hundreds of meals in her home kitchen. She soon realized she needed to rent space to keep up with the demand, and that was the beginning of Clean Eatz. Today, Clean Eatz is a health-focused cafe and meal prep service offering a range of options including dine-in, takeout and meal plans with customizable menus catering to various dietary needs. With 100+ restaurants open in 23 states, Clean Eatz is now one of the fastest-growing franchises on the East Coast.

Ellis Winstanley is a seasoned restauranteur and business executive with a successful track record of starting up, turning around and growing businesses in the hospitality, software and several other industries. Ellis began turning around historic restaurant brands while in college and has played key roles in dozens of restaurant related operations over the years. It was during this time that Ellis realized there was a huge opportunity to flip restaurant technology on its head by focusing on front-line engagement with company goals. His passion for solving this problem led him to found the revolutionary technology platform Axial Shift.

Kathleen Wood is the Founder of Kathleen Wood Partners (KWP), an innovative, award-winning growth strategy firm committed to scaling businesses for success for over two decades. Kathleen and her team specialize in transforming visions into reality through strategic growth solutions, business optimization, competitive sales building, and leadership development. Kathleen's work spans across various industries, focusing on transforming small companies into national brands. She is a nationally recognized strategist who has scaled businesses into market leaders and billion-dollar brands. Kathleen also authored Founderology, a guide for improving workplace dynamics. Kathleen has extensive leadership and operational experience as the former President and COO of Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers and executive roles with MasterCard, TGI Friday’s, and the Educational Foundation of the National Restaurant Association.

Sam Worobec is co-founder of Training Simplified and a human capital executive with deep experience operating at the highest levels of fast growing organizations. His career spans executive leadership roles at Chipotle, Red Ventures and Nexus Executive Search, where he has lead every facet of Human Resources including executive assessment, talent strategy, and leadership development at scale. Sam is an operator who has built the systems that develop leaders from within, resulting in the growth of thousands of frontline employees into managers and executives. Through Training Simplified, he brings together real world executive leadership and proven training frameworks to help organizations build internal pipelines, strengthen culture, and deliver results through people.