Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit

How to dominate restaurant data

A panel at the Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit will discuss how to use data to drive growth and profitability.

Photo: Networld Media Group

February 21, 2025 by Bradley Cooper — Editor, ATM Marketplace & Food Truck Operator

Data is everywhere. All industries have so much data, they don't know what to do with all of it. The businesses and restaurants that will truly succeed are the ones that dominate their data to make informed decisions to drive growth and profitability. This topic will be covered in depth at a panel at the Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit held from March 11 to 13 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

R.J. Hottovy, head of analytic research at Placer.ai will moderate the packed panel with panelists Mara Hunt, head of franchise development, Foxtail Coffee, John Lucas, VP of brand and franchise development, Farmer Boys, Jennifer Pecoraro-Striepling, chief development officer, Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux and Jonathan Trapesonian, head of franchising and real estate, Habit Burger & Grill.

The panel will focus on a variety of topics such as analyzing customer's foot traffic patterns, analyzing impact of nearby businesses, mapping tools and forecasting future trends. The panelists will offer insights into how restaurant can use all of this data to find prime locations for expansion.

When asked what they were most excited to share about at the panel, the panelists offered the following insights in an email interview.

Jonathan Trapesonian:

Data is such an important part of the decision making process around site selection & restaurant optimization. I'm excited to share and also hear about how brands are using data to improve customer experiences and grow their footprint in new markets.

John Lukas:

I'm excited to share how data has continued to shift our approach to team member scheduling.

With AI, we are now able to more accurately match guest flow to team member scheduling and deployment. The benefits we have seen from this are the following:

• High productivity.
• Improved customer satisfaction.
• Better speedy to proficiency for new higher.
• Lower labor cost.

R.J. Hottovy:

We'll likely be spending a lot of time discussing the latest in data advancements to help restaurant operators and franchisees identify new markets for growth, find optimal locations for expansion within those markets, and better understand the local restaurant industry trends and behaviors.

Click here to register for the event. Use the code AMCEDIT20 for 20% off at checkout. Registration ends on March 7.

About Bradley Cooper

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Bradley Cooper is the editor of ATM Marketplace and Food Truck Operator. He was previously the editor of Digital Signage Today. His background is in information technology, advertising, and writing.

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