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Wingstop, McAlister’s Deli, Tropical Smoothie leaders among RFIS closing keynote panelists

During the closing keynote session at the annual Restaurant Franchising and Innovation Summit next month in Atlanta, the presidents and CEOs of International Wingstop Restaurants, McAlister’s Deli, Native Foods, Eggs Up Grill and Tropical Smoothie will discuss the state of the restaurant franchising industry.

February 17, 2020 by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

When it comes to running a restaurant franchise, a CEO's work is never done. And that is even more true for leaders in the limited-service sector, which make up about 54% of all fast-food restaurants in America as well as 70% of sales ($185.4 billion) and 73% of the employment of fast-food restaurants (3.6 million).

No pressure, right?

Although no CEO faces the exact set of circumstances, they have several goals in common — improving operations, increasing sales, controlling food and labor costs and creating a better guest experience. Those are just a few topics that five industry leaders will discuss at the closing keynote session — "Franchising Think Tank" — during the Restaurant Franchising and Innovation Summit, March 16-18 in Atlanta

Panelists, who will talk about the latest issues of the day and what it takes to succeed in franchising, include:

• Nicolas Boudet, president of International Wingstop Restaurants.
• Joe Guith, president of McAlister’s Deli.
• Carin Stutz, CEO of Native Foods.
• Ricky Richardson, CEO of Eggs Up Grill.
• Charles Watson, CEO of Tropical Smoothie Café.
• Mark Wayne, chief revenue officer, NuArx

About Cherryh Cansler

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Cherryh Cansler is VP of Events for Networld Media Group and publisher of FastCasual.com. She has been covering the restaurant industry since 2012. Her byline has appeared in Forbes, The Kansas City Star and American Fitness magazine, among many others.

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