Changing IT And Marketing Platforms In Restaurants: What You Need To Know To Stay Relevant

Transcription

1 Changing IT And Marketing Platforms In Restaurants: What You Need To Know To Stay Relevant Fred LeFranc, Results Thru Strategy Scott Shaw, Fishbowl Austen Mulinder, Ziosk Michael Lukianoff, Czar Metrics Larry Abramson, Red Book Connect

2 Fred LeFranc Founding Partner/CEO Results Thru Strategy 6420-A1 Rea Road, Suite 378 Charlotte, NC (704) Fred is the founder/ceo of Results Thru Strategy, Inc., a consultancy that focuses on helping companies, private equity, owners and C-level executives identify and implement strategies that deliver long term sustainable success for their companies. As a change agent, LeFranc aids executives in modifying their behavior to hone in on their natural strengths. This allows them to focus their efforts and achieve extraordinary results. LeFranc s aptitude in strategic planning, leadership training and business development has aided numerous companies achieve increased sales and profits. He has served on the boards of restaurant and technology companies for over 30 years. Recently, Fred led the turn-around projects at Steak N Shake and Boston Market. Both projects involved the assessment, recommendations and implementation of successful pilot programs that were rolled out system-wide results in over a 20% increase in transaction counts and over a 10% increase in sales. In both cases, this was a reversal of several years of significant declines. RTS works with growth companies such as Which Wich and Yard House. In growth situations, infrastructure, real estate, capital and strategy go hand in hand. At Fishbowl Marketing, a $17 million technology-based marketing services firm that pioneered the use of marketing in the restaurant industry, LeFranc served on the advisory and formal boards during the company s infancy through it latest round of financing. Several years ago, LeFranc implemented the strategic planning process into Fishbowl, resulting in an improvement of their operating results, and allowing the organization to attract top senior management. LeFranc continues to assist the company in business development through partnerships with other technology-based service companies in the US and UK. Previously, LeFranc was president and chief operating officer of The Ruby Restaurant Group, a $100 million, privately held company headquartered in Newport Beach, California. Ruby s Diner operates 42, 1940s-style diners in California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Hawaii, and Washington. In the three years during which LeFranc joined Ruby s Diner s founders at the helm, the company enjoyed record growth in sales, increasing average unit volumes by 30%. He was instrumental in recruiting team members with specialties in Menu Development, Marketing, Information Services, Human Resources, Training and Franchise Development to build a new management team for this largely entrepreneurial company. Under LeFranc s watch, a new Intranet and Business Intelligence system was developed.

3 Larry Abramson CEO Red Book Connect 3237 Satellite Boulevard, Suite 475 Duluth, GA (877) As CEO, Larry will lead the strategic direction, operations and growth for Red Book Connect, including the integration of multiple technology solutions into one integrated platform. Prior to joining Red Book Connect, Larry was senior vice president & general manager of Oracle Advanced Customer Services where he led the business to $1 billion. Larry also held senior leadership positions with USinternetworking, Appshop and Arthur Andersen where he joined the U.S. Partnership in 1998 and a Worldwide Partnership in In 2004 Larry was named Entrepreneur of the Year by El Dorado Ventures for his work as Appshop s CEO. Larry holds a B.S. in Business Administration with a double major in accounting and management information systems from the University of Arizona.

4 Michael Lukianoff President/Founder Czar Metrics 767 Lexington Avenue, Suite 305 New York, NY (212) Mike is a trusted advisor, providing strategic and tactical guidance to some of the restaurant and retail industry s largest and most reputable companies. An expert in applied econometrics, price elasticity, forecasting and asset management, Mike is also a registered co-inventor of two patents. His passion for innovation is evidenced as he continuously invents unique statistical approaches applied to site selection, value engineering and media allocation with proven results in the industry. Mike is known for assembling highly effective, diversely skilled teams and identifying the talents and personalities required for every business challenge. Mike is an extraordinary communicator with a unique ability to distill complex, highly technical concepts into simple, actionable terms for a non-technical audience. Prior to Czar Metrics, Mike was president of the North American Division of Revenue Management Solutions, LLC (RMS). His industry experience also includes nearly a decade of food and beverage management, including positions ranging from General Manager to Food and Beverage Director and Executive Chef. Mike holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Ithaca College and a Masters of Management in Hospitality from Cornell s School of Hotel Administration.

5 Austen Mulinder President & CEO Ziosk Park Central, Suite 250 Dallas, TX (214) Austen is the president and CEO of Ziosk, a Dallas-based media company with the first digital promotion and pay-at-the-table tablet touchscreen for the casual dining restaurant market. The technology, featuring a 7-inch touchscreen and credit card reader, resides on each table and enables the guests to see promotions, play games, view news, order food and beverages and pay on demand. With its interactive capabilities, the Ziosk creates a digital media platform for partners to create engaging experiences at the point of purchase. Ziosk, formerly known as TableTop Media, was founded in 2008 and has been the recipient of the 2009 National Restaurant Association Technology Innovation Award, the 2010 Hospitality Technology Breakthrough Award and was named one of 100 Brilliant companies by Entrepreneur in Austen has served in his current position since October Before joining Ziosk, Austen most recently served as corporate vice president of operator channels at Microsoft and previously served as corporate vice president for the Communications Sector, where he led strategy, sales and marketing of Microsoft services and solutions to telecommunications, hosting, media and entertainment companies. Austen joined Microsoft Corp. in mid-2007 as vice president for Worldwide Enterprise Sales. In this role, he successfully led the key capabilities for Microsoft s enterprise business, including global accounts, specialist sales community, Microsoft Online and the global compete program. Prior to his tenure at Microsoft, Austen served for six years as president and CEO of Fujitsu Transaction Solutions Inc., a wholly owned Fujitsu company. During his tenure there, Austen led the company s transformation into a leading retail technology solutions vendor. He began his career at ICL plc in the U.K., joining the executive management team in Austen holds a law degree from the University of Nottingham and has trained at INSEAD Business School in France. He is a member of the Young Presidents Organization and has served as a chairman of StoreNext Retail Technologies LLC, and has broad experience serving as a board member for nonprofits such as the American Heart Association and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Corporate Council. He was selected to serve on the board of directors for the TM Forum, the world s leading industry association focused on improving business effectiveness for service providers and their suppliers and most recently joined the board of Bold Ventures, a Dallas-based venture capital company.

6 Scott Shaw Founder & CEO Fishbowl 44 Canal Center Plaza, Suite 500 Alexandria, VA (703) Scott spent 17 years with three successful start-up restaurant companies before founding his Fishbowl in He was co-founder and president of Amy s Ice Creams, based in Austin, Texas; partner & COO of CAFÉ TU TU TANGO, a Nation s Restaurant News Hot Concepts award-winner; and partner & COO of the Austin Grills, an award-winning seven-unit chain based in Washington, DC. Scott is a frequent guest speaker at a variety of industry events, including the Restaurant Finance Monitor s annual conference, various National Restaurant Association events, MUFSO, Multi- Unit Restaurant Technology Conference, and Peach Reports annual UK Marketing Trends conference. Scott received a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University with a major in Latin American Studies.

7 Changing IT And Marketing Platforms In Restaurants: What You Need To Know To Stay Relevant NOTES:

8