Speakers

Erle Dardick is an entrepreneur, author, restaurant veteran, and off premises thought leader for the Global Foodservice Industry. Erle’s mission is to help foodservice operators create successful off premises revenue channels. An expert in turning around struggling businesses, Erle's journey into catering began with acquiring a small Vancouver deli and developing it into a flourishing off premises operation. In a small office above that deli, Erle created MONKEY, The #1 Cloud Platform for takeout, delivery & catering. Through his vision of The Catering Institute, MonkeyMedia Software, and Off Premises Insights, Erle became a leader in a rapidly developing space. Throughout this process, Erle pioneered The 5 Pillars of Successful Takeout, Delivery & Catering which has since evolved into the 5 Stages, a leading strategic framework for the restaurant and foodservice industry. Since selling his company to ezCater in 2019, Erle has gone on to work with several more cutting-edge order management solutions including Olo and Lunchbox, in developing and refining their off premises strategies. Eventually, Erle came to realize that the best way he could serve the foodservice community was by sharing his insights on the principles of the 5 stages, rather than any singular solution. Today, as Founder & Senior Partner, Erle leads The Off Premises Growth Academy, focusing on industry advocacy for the off premises segment, as well as training and certification for foodservice multi-unit off premises channels. Erle earned his MBA at Simon Fraser University and lives in Vancouver BC, Canada.

Kelly Grogan is a highly successful executive in the hospitality industry with extensive experience and achievements in driving revenue growth in both B2B and B2C settings. With a keen understanding of market dynamics and consumer preferences, she has consistently devised and executed innovative sales strategies that have propelled her employers and clients to new heights of success. Her tenure in the restaurant space has been marked by a series of notable accomplishments. Through strategic partnerships, targeted marketing initiatives, and an ability to build from the ground up, Kelly has grown both new and established departments to achieve significant incremental revenue growth. By leveraging her expertise in identifying and capitalizing on emerging trends, as well as her ability to work cross-functionally across all departments, she has seen great success at both the corporate and local store levels.

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.

Molly Flick is the Director of Catering for Southern Rock Restaurants focus on McAlister’s Deli. She began her tenure at McAlister’s Deli in 2006, overseeing catering operations for 5 locations. By 2022, Molly had expanded her purview to 10 delis, achieving $3 million in catering sales. In 2023, she accepted a new challenge to enhance catering sales across 27 locations. Her success led to a promotion in 2024 to Director of Catering for all Southern Rock Restaurants, encompassing 160 locations. Under her leadership, the catering department has grown to include 6 team members and continues to drive sales growth.