If Your Job Depended On Doubling Catering Sales In The Next 12 Months, What Would You Do?


Your job is on the line and catering sales have to double in the next 12 months. You don’t have unlimited time, unlimited money, or a bigger team. Where would you focus?

Michael Attias, founder of CaterZen and a former restaurant operator, kicks things off by sharing three proven strategies he would bet on to drive serious catering growth over the next 12 months—plus a bonus fourth strategy hiding right under most operators’ noses.

Then it’s your turn. In small-group breakouts, you’ll tackle the same question: If doubling catering sales were non-negotiable, what would you actually do? You’ll pressure-test ideas with other operators and identify the few moves most likely to make a meaningful difference in your business.

Walk away with a short list of practical, high-impact actions you can start putting to work Monday morning.

 

Presenters
Margarita Acero
Customer Success Manager
CRUMBS
Margarita Acero is a Customer Success Manager at CRUMBS, where she helps restaurant brands grow their catering programs. Having spent most of her career in hospitality, she loves building strong relationships with partners and helping them turn catering into a major source of growth.
Michael Attias
President/CEO/Founder
CaterZen
Michael Attias began his career in the restaurant business at the age of 16, starting as a dishwasher and working his way up the ladder. Fresh out of college, he launched one of the first Corky's BBQ franchises just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Faced with the challenge of building restaurant and catering sales, Michael discovered direct marketing. His mastery of direct marketing led him to build a three-million-dollar-a-year operation out of a 104-seat restaurant, with catering sales exceeding a million dollars a year. As a result of these accomplishments, Michael began speaking, consulting, and providing educational tools to help restaurant owners, caterers, contract foodservice operators, and grocery stores increase their catering sales.
Laura Carter
Customer Success Manager
CRUMBS
Customer Success Manager at CRUMBS with a background in Marketing.
David "Rev" Ciancio
Co-Founder & Chief Marketing Officer
Salad House/Handcraft Burgers and Brews
Rev Ciancio is a New York City restaurant owner and knows exactly how hard it is to operate and brand a hospitality business. He is a hospitality marketing consultant, customer and technology evangelist at Branded Strategic Hospitality, with more than 20 years experience in B2B digital marketing and business development, specializing in hospitality marketing, content, local SEO, reputation management and demand generation. He helps technology companies, brands and restaurants to acquire and retain more customers. Rev is known as an “expert burger taster,” pens hospitality and marketing tips on his Instagram @revciancio, as well as his LinkedIn Profile and hosts the Restaurant Marketing Podcast. He believes that Pizza is a religion.
Jerome Dees Jr.
Vice President of Sales
Tacolicious
Jerome Dees Jr. is an award-winning sales leader with nearly 20 years of experience in the restaurant and CPG industries. Recipient of the National Restaurant Association’s Advanced Leadership Award in 2024 and named among the Most Influential Restaurant Executives in 2021 and 2022, Jerome has driven growth at brands like Bagel Brands, Le Boulanger, Wise Sons, and Tacolicious. Passionate about empowering others, Jerome mentors aspiring entrepreneurs and has sold millions of bagels and tacos while fostering community impact through leadership and education.
Kelly Grogan
Founder & CEO
CRUMBS
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.
Erica Keegan
Senior Customer Success Manager
CRUMBS
As a Customer Success Manager at CRUMBS, Erica Keegan is passionate about creating exceptional customer experiences and helping teams build strong, lasting relationships with their guests. She enjoys finding solutions, improving processes, and ensuring every catering experience is seamless from start to finish. Erica is excited to share ideas, learn from others, and continue growing in the catering space.
Brittany Mercer
Director of Marketing
Cowboy Chicken
Brittany Mercer is a results-driven marketing executive with over 16 years of experience leading high-impact strategies across the restaurant industry. She specializes in local store marketing, off-premise growth, and brand development that drives both top-line sales and long-term brand equity. With a background rooted in operations and catering sales, Brittany brings a deep understanding of what matters most to restaurant operators: practical, actionable marketing that moves the needle. Known for blending creative storytelling with data-informed decisions, she’s passionate about building loyal guest relationships, supporting field teams, and creating marketing programs that feel as authentic as they are effective.
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