AI Meets Guest Data: Turn One Order Into Five

Carrie Lucas has 34 years of experience in the food and hospitality industry and currently serves as Director of Catering Operations for DiBella's Subs, a Rochester, New York-based brand with 38 locations across five states. She began her career as a crew member at Wendy's and worked her way through numerous leadership roles, gaining a unique perspective on the business. Eight years ago, she joined DiBella's as a Regional Catering Sales Manager and has continued to grow with the brand. Today, Carrie leads seven Catering Sales Managers and oversees catering operations across the brand, focusing on growth, new catering opportunities, client relationships, and strategic partnerships. She believes in thinking outside the box, finding ways to say yes, and creating solutions that help meet clients' needs. Carrie is passionate about catering and hospitality and about building lasting relationships that turn great service into long-term partnerships.

Gracie Prasanson is the VP of Sales for Jason's Deli where she has served for the last 26 years developing and expanding off premises channels for the brand. Gracie has over 40 years of experience in sales management, operations, and off premises. She has worked for other large national chains such as Denny's, Cracker Barrel and IHOP. Gracie achieved Ranger level in Salesforce Trailhead in 2022.

Arya Rashtchian is Co-founder and CEO of Omnirev. His graduate education is in AI and machine learning, and he started his path in the restaurant industry building products including hyperlocal marketplaces, then an end-to-end catering platform, Omnicart, which was acquired by Dlivrd Technologies in 2025. Since then, Arya has brought his background in catering, sales, and AI together to build an AI-driven sales engine that helps restaurant brands grow their catering revenue. He has been recognized on British Columbia's Top 30 Under 30 list and was named Canada's Top Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2024.

Nader Samadyan is the co-founder and COO of Omnirev, an AI-powered CRM built to help restaurants grow catering revenue. Acting like a supercharged sales agent, Omnirev automates outreach and customer engagement, enabling brands to double their catering sales with less effort. Nader previously co-founded and exited Omnicart, a platform that helped restaurants launch first-party catering channels. Drawing on years of experience working with leading restaurant brands, he now focuses on applying cutting-edge AI to transform how restaurants scale their off-premise business.

Samuel Stanovich is part of the leadership team of Big Chicken. Prior to joining Big Chicken, Samuel worked with Firehouse Subs brand as an Area Representative and Franchisee. Samuel’s past experiences include: Director Partner Product Development & Industry Relations, National Restaurant Association, President & CEO of the Heritage Corridor Convention and Visitors Bureau, in addition, he is a 12-year veteran of Marriott International. In 2020 Samuel co-authored the top catering book “Catering Domination” and is co-host of the Takeout, Delivery and Catering podcast. Samuel is an alum Johnson and Wales University and adjunct faculty at the College of DuPage.

Mary Ziola-Vega brings decades of hands-on experience in restaurant marketing, operations and business development, with extensive experience supporting Papa Johns franchise operations. Her work has focused on local store marketing, catering, community partnerships, customer engagement and finding practical ways to drive restaurant growth. Working closely with operators has given Mary a firsthand understanding of the challenges restaurant teams face—from increasing sales and building repeat business to managing limited time and resources. She has a particular interest in how technology, AI and customer data can help operators make smarter decisions without adding complexity to their day. Mary believes the best strategies are the ones that work in the real world—practical, measurable and designed around the people running the restaurants.