Agenda

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.

This keynote will delve into:

• The Power of Heritage: Discover how Chef Baul’s grandmother, Betty Sue, a former chef to Leon Spinks, instilled the culinary passion that fuels his creations and the importance of preserving culinary heritage, especially during black history month and beyond.
• Resilience and Recovery: Learn how Chef Baul and Daniella turned setbacks, including homelessness and a failed restaurant deal, into a foundation for triumph.
• Financial Foundations for Restaurant Success: Daniella Williams, founder of The Ivy League Academy, will provide invaluable insights into building strong business credit, securing funding, and navigating the financial complexities of the restaurant world.
• Building a Brand with Soul: Explore how Chef Baul and Daniella have created a restaurant concept that honors family, community, and the unifying power of food.
• Partnership and Power: How the partnership between Chef Baul and Daniella propelled their business to the next level.
• Lessons Learned: Key takeaways from their experiences, including how to avoid “wolves in sheep’s clothing” and the importance of viewing setbacks as setups for comebacks.

Growing a catering program isn’t about waiting for orders—it’s about creating demand and building a repeatable, predictable sales process.

In this session, we’ll cover:

• How to build and train a catering sales team (even if you don’t have one yet!)
• Outbound vs. inbound catering sales—what actually works?
• Key performance metrics to measure success
• How to sell catering without it feeling like “sales”