Commentary
Heard at the Summit: Attendees share insights, pain points and keys to success
Restaurant Franchising and Innovation Summit attendees discuss everything from bunnies to BS.
March 31, 2017 by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com
When you get 200 restaurant executives together you are bound to hear words of encouragement and advice, hilarious stories and a little smack talk. That was certainly the case this week at the Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit in Dallas, where attendees learned from one another about ways to grow their business.
And while FastCasual will be posting stories covering each session in the next few weeks, here are just a few of my favorite quotes from this year's successful event.
"Our CEO always says, 'everybody loves Dippin Dots. Dippin' Dots is like bunnies making love.'" — Steve Rothenstein, senior director of franchising, Dippin' Dots.
"If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, convince them with bullshit." — Jeff Sinelli, founder of Which Wich.
"My parents taught me that I was just as good as the queen of England but no better than the pea picker in the field." – Ellen Hartman, Ellen Hartman PR.
"If you can't get down in the trenches, pick up a knife and start stabbing, then aren't right for a small, growing organization." — Tom Gordon, co-founder and CEO of Slim Chickens.
"Although I didn't bring them with me, we do have 'The Meats.' The meats are fine." — Bo Davis, COO of US Beef (Arby's franchisee).
"Hummus is the new guacamole." — Keith Peterson, VP of marketing of Verts Mediterranean Grill.
"We have franchisees who have told me — and I'm not exaggerating — that they weren't sure email was going to catch on." — Liz Bazner, digital manager of A&W Restaurants.
"When you are always the smartest person in the room, it doesn't do much to create a collaborative environment," — Bobby Shaw, Bobby Shaw Consulting.
"If you walk over a piece of trash in a restaurant, that says a lot about you." — Tom Gordon, co-founder and CEO of Slim Chickens.
"Never say the following words, 'no comment.' It makes you look guilty, and they want to see what you are hiding." — Ellen Hartman, Ellen Hartman PR.
"How do we not only create food that makes us feel good when we eat it but makes us feel good later?"— Biju Thomas, founder of Biju's Little Curry Shop.
"I would say we are not early adopters. We let the companies that have the money do all that. We don't have the money to do these beta tests, so I'd say we are in the next round." — Jae Kim, founder of Chi'Lantro.
"We innovated by doing less." — Biju Thomas, founder of Biju's Little Curry Shop.
"We are in the feelings business. We are selling feelings to our customers everyday." — Jae Kim, founder of Chi'Lantro.
"There's a grand inefficiency unnecessarily costing the food service industry millions every year. Operators have the power to change the industry to lower their total cost to operate by rejecting the status quo." — Gary Meehan, CEO of QiCOde.
"Only 13 percent of people say they are engaged at work." — Nick Sarillo, CEO of Nick's Pizza.
"My job is to make as many mistakes as I can, so we can get rid of the obvious before we franchise this." — Steve Rothenstein, senior director of franchising, Dippin' Dots.
"If you can keep it simple, it allows it to easily be replicated." — Jim Thompson, VP of operations of Chicken Salad Chick.
Your favorite?
What was the best piece of advice or your favorite quote from the Summit? Tweet it using the hashtag, #RFISummitQuotes.
Register herefor our Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit, July 18-20 in London. The 2018 RFIS will be in April in Louisville.
About Cherryh Cansler
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