Fast Casual Executive Summit
Breaking bread and biases: Why restaurants (still) need more female voices
The Fast Casual Executive Summit is hosting the panel "Breaking Bread and Biases: Empowering Women for Fast Casual Leadership," featuring women leaders discussing the benefits of gender diversity and teaching attendees to unlock a wealth of talent, improve decision-making and gain a competitive edge by fostering female leadership.
July 10, 2024 by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com
The restaurant industry is ahead of its peers when it comes to women in the C-suite, considering that38% of restaurant executives are female, while only 28% of overall C-level executives are women, according to a 2023 study by the consulting firm McKinsey.
Yes, it's better but not equal, especially when women make up over 60% of the restaurant industry's workers. This lack of parity is one of many reasons that the Fast Casual Executive Summit is hosting the panel, "Breaking Bread and Biases: Empowering Women for Fast Casual Leadership," featuring women leaders discussing the benefits of gender diversity and teaching attendees to unlock a wealth of talent, improve decision-making and gain a competitive edge by fostering female leadership. It will also equip them with the knowledge and tools needed to create a more inclusive leadership pipeline and empower more women to climb the corporate ladder within their brand.
"Clearly, the funnel is not the issue as there are plenty of talent to be moved up, but the process in which talent is handpicked, mentored, educated, developed and promoted is not working equally for male vs. female employees, and that's why we need to look at the process and look for ways to remove biases and barriers that create the inequality in talent development," said panelist Panelist Shokouh Shafiei, president and CEO of DSA Signage.
Her goal is to make female attendees feel supported while igniting a sense of reflection on past practices for male attendees.
"I have personally benefited from having male allies and mentors, and I think our audience has men in positions where they can afford to take a risk on a female colleague and help elevate them," she said.
It's also important for women to learn that even the most successful executives faced challenges when climbing the ladder.
"I hope (the session) opens the door to more discussions and they can participate in workshops and other groups to get ideas, share their challenges and find others who may have had similar experiences and ultimately find an easier path to navigate the situation they find themselves in," Shafiei said.
Panelist Julie Swift, founder of the Foodservice Womens Alliance, agreed, saying she hopes all attendees learn the importance of being deliberate in efforts to drive equality and equity in the foodservice space
"This is an industry that was not built with (women's) success in mind, she said. "Through our vulnerability in sharing our journeys and experiences, we can both validate other women's experiences (so many feel ALONE) while bringing awareness to the realities that face women in foodservice."
Also, many women don't have autonomy over their career growth and success.
"Work harder, get noticed, but whatever you do, don't over-achieve to a point where you're getting the wrong kind of attention," she said. "So many women feel the (real) pressure to calibrate themselves almost daily to not be seen as 'too aggressive or combative' or 'too smart' that they may become a threat. Imagine the energy being wasted in this cycle."
Other panelists include:
- Suzie Tsai, CEO, Bonchon.
- Hannah Lopez, director of Marketplace, Food Service, Plant Based Foods Association.
- Rachael Nemeth, CEO and cco-founder, Opus Training
Register here for the Fast Casual Executive Summit.
About Cherryh Cansler
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