Ask the Experts Roundtable

Liz Janeway is a passionate catering sales leader with more than 30 years of experience in the restaurant industry and over 20 years specializing in catering sales. Throughout her career, she has consistently delivered year-over-year growth for every brand she's represented by building strong relationships, developing strategic partnerships, and focusing relentlessly on results. As a Catering Sales Director for Pei Wei Catering, she takes pride in creating exceptional guest experiences from start to finish. She believes that every interaction matters, and is committed to ensuring every event is executed with care, professionalism, and attention to detail. Her dedication to the industry has earned her recognition as a Mover & Shaker of 2024 and one of the Top 30 Women in Catering for 2025. She is driven by a passion for hospitality, a commitment to excellence, and a desire to help businesses, clients, and teams succeed.

Ali Templin, VP of Sales and Partnerships at Palona, is a restaurant technology leader focused on helping brands drive profitable growth and operational impact through AI. She works with enterprise operators, franchise organizations, and technology leaders to deploy Palona’s suite of AI solutions for Revenue Expansion and Operational Excellence. Prior to Palona, Ali spent nearly a decade at DoorDash, where she helped build and scale new business lines and strategic partnerships during a period of transformational growth for the restaurant industry. Working alongside many of the country’s largest restaurant brands, she developed deep expertise in enterprise technology, digital commerce, off-premise strategy, and first-party growth. Today, she brings that experience to helping restaurant leaders identify and deploy emerging technology that delivers measurable business impact.