Agenda 2025

All attendees, sponsors, and speakers must check in at the registration desk and pick up a name badge. Please wear your badge at all times during the Workshop.

Catering isn’t just a side revenue stream—it’s the future of restaurant growth. This session explores how first-party catering, corporate partnerships, and local sales strategies are shaping the industry. We’ll discuss evolving consumer behaviors, emerging technology, and how restaurants that invest in structured catering programs now will be the ones thriving in the years ahead.

Catering is one of the most profitable channels in foodservice—but only when the order journey is designed for consistency and clarity. From the first click to final drop-off, every stage of the process introduces both opportunities and risks.

In this session, leading restaurant operators and technology experts will share how they’ve built profitable catering programs by rethinking the catering journey from end to end. This panel will surface lived experiences, trade-offs, and lessons learned from the field.

Key Themes We’ll Explore:

• The Complete Catering Journey – How a modern tech stack supports every step, from order to guest experience, and where profitability is won or lost.
• Choice & Control in Delivery Models – The trade-offs between marketplace, first-party, and hybrid approaches, and how technology helps operators maintain control.
• Integration & Visibility – Why connected systems and real-time tracking create clarity for operators and confidence for customers, directly impacting profit.
• Designing a Repeatable Tech Journey – Lessons learned and practical steps to build scalable, repeatable catering delivery that drives long-term growth.

Why Attend:

You’ll walk away with practical operator-tested strategies for turning catering delivery into a repeatable, profitable business model—supported by technology, but rooted in the customer experience.

Customer retention is the new acquisition. This session explores how restaurant operators can leverage CRM tools and AI to better understand, segment, and market to their catering clients. From automated re-engagement flows and follow-up cadences to AI-driven lead scoring and outreach, we’ll explore how to stop leaving money on the table and start building relationships at scale.

Key Takeaways:

• Understanding CRM as a revenue tool, not just a database
• Building smart automation flows for catering follow-ups and reorders
• Using AI to score, segment, and personalize outreach
• Best practices for capturing, organizing, and acting on guest data
• Tools and tech stack recommendations for restaurants of all sizes

In a landscape where third-party delivery (3PD) platforms are critical to revenue but often misunderstood, this session will equip you with the strategies to take control. Learn how to position your catering menus for visibility, optimize platform algorithms, and drive high-margin transactions that work for your business. From promotions and photography to pricing and operations, we’ll break down the tactics used by top-performing brands to turn marketplaces into meaningful growth engines.

Key Takeaways:

• Platform-specific tips to improve visibility and conversion
• Understanding the ranking algorithm and leveraging it to your advantage
• How to use LTOs, bundles, and images to increase order size
• Navigating platform fees, menus, and operations for catering-scale fulfillment
• The roadmap to owning your data while building a 3PD strategy that scales

Marketing for catering is NOT the same as marketing for restaurant traffic.

In this session, we’ll break down:

• How to market directly to businesses, event planners & corporate decision-makers
• Email & social media strategies that drive catering orders
• Leveraging first-party channels to reduce reliance on third-party platforms
• Local store marketing ideas to build community partnerships

Scaling catering requires flawless execution—without it, even the best sales and marketing strategies won’t work.

This session will dive into:

• Best practices for order fulfillment & accuracy
• Delivery logistics that won’t slow you down
• Packaging and presentation strategies that impress clients
• How to set up catering-friendly kitchen workflows

Ever had a catering order go horribly wrong because of tech issues? Share your stories, and let’s discuss solutions together!

Hear from restaurant operators who have built high-performing catering programs.

Topics include:

• Lessons learned from scaling catering in a multi-unit environment
• How to balance in-store sales with catering operations
• What marketing & operations investments deliver the biggest ROI

Cash bar available.

Join us for a parade honoring the winners of the "Top 30 Movers & Shakers: Catering."

Attendees will sit down with a few of the experts for a rapid-fire Q&A session on sales, marketing, operations and catering program growth.