With so many third-party partners embedded in running a restaurant---delivery companies, loyalty vendors, online ordering platforms, reservation systems, workforce management tools, etc.---data on customers, labor and more is flying in more than ever. But with data running through outside vendors first, who really owns that data? This panel will discuss data ownership, as well as how data is parsed out and protected, touching on the construction of agreements to make sure the right information is captured and shared.

Businesses can’t afford to be complacent in the face of rapid technological innovation. Some of the most disruptive and world-changing innovations were invented in someone’s garage, while the world remained unaware of the next big thing. Having spent the past five years developing cutting-edge technologies for Google, Cohen explores what emerging technologies are poised to change the ways we live and work, and what they mean for your business.

As you settle in and gear up for a great conference, plan to join FSTEC's Technology Showcase and be one of the first to check out every booth in action.  Discover some of the industry's latest innovations, mingle with peers and help us kick off FSTEC 2018 in style with an exciting Welcome Reception complete with food, drinks and great conversation!

With the rise in takeout and delivery, if you’re still running a brick and mortar, guest engagement is more important than ever. Why should someone come in? What creates convenience? What creates delight? Learn this and more on the latest trends and statistics around consumer and business technology.

An all-inclusive and customer consistent ordering and payment experience. Cash accepting kiosks make cash an electronic payment, providing customer choice and a positive self-ordering experience, card or cash. Redeploy staff to enhance the customer experience. Freed from the burden of touching and managing cash, your staff can be focused on the customer experience and building your brand and customer loyalty.

Cloud technology is dominating the technology landscape and creating sweeping improvements. Xenial will show you how to leverage cloud benefits with real examples to make your enterprise soar!

POS systems are the lifeblood of restaurant enterprises, yet many of these systems are anemic when it comes to generating sustainable profitability. All too often, POS systems either fall short of operator expectations or operators are simply unaware of the power that can be harnessed from a POS that is essentially your valued 'business partner.

Learn how to leverage your POS and POS provider to:

• Protect your brand from today’s emerging threat landscape

• Increase sales by 18-30%

• Decrease tangible expenses (e.g., labor!)

• Reduce profit-detering intangibles

Online ordering, third party delivery, home delivery and grocery are reshaping the industry. Now more than ever restaurants need marketing tools to go on the offensive and drive guest visits and revenue, not clicks and likes. Turn old data into new data by transforming email lists and text clubs into a modern engagement platform that creates an owned audience for your business. Be better prepared to separate yourself from the competition and help your guests understand what makes your restaurant experience unique. Join us to learn more about the tool set that can enable you to deliver targeted, in moment marketing to your guests.

Delivering great customer experiences is a direct function of the operating procedures you design for your restaurants. Not surprisingly, designing procedures and initiatives is a lot easier than rolling-out and enforcing them!

Join this panel discussion to learn how Domino’s IT partners with Operations to solve some of their most pressing operational needs; and how together, they use technology to tackle that critical “last mile” challenge to achieve operational excellence across locations and create great customer experiences.

The hospitality industry is evolving at a rapid pace, and in the restaurant industry specifically - technology is a large driver of this change. With convenience being a top driver for our guests, ensuring we're still providing a memorable experience is the biggest challenge. During this panel we'll discuss...

Presented by Technomic, this in-depth look at the state of foodservice will address current headwinds facing the industry. Our discussion on industry sales and traffic data and over-arching trends will highlight technology’s growing impact on foodservice using Technomic’s Transaction Insights sales-performance tracking tool.

Restaurant Business recognizes companies that are revolutionizing their business model by using technology that results in operations improvements or an enhanced guest experience—and ultimately bottom-line growth. From among the three winners—one each from limited service, full service and emerging operations—one will rise to the top. Join us as we celebrate the innovations and accomplishments of Zume Pizza (emerging), Domino’s (limited service), and TGI Fridays (full service).  And then, of course, enjoy the excitement as we announce the Tech Accelerator of the Year! 

Ron will dig into the world of the blockchain, the distributed ledger technology that is rapidly changing many industries. After taking a look at its history and how to easily understand it, Ron will explore how blockchain is already affecting other businesses such as finance and healthcare, sharing specific test cases that bear striking similarity to processes within the restaurant industry. This will lead to a discussion of how different aspects of blockchain technology will impact restaurants. For instance, how will smart contracts affect the supply chain? How can automated rules within these smart contracts reduce management workload and increase efficiency? How does blockchain shared ledger technology allow all parties in foodservice transactions to be instantaneously aware of all the processes and statuses in a transaction? How can this technology be used to solve certain restaurant specific problems such as wage inflation? How could a private blockchain interact with machine learning to help you better serve your customers? This session will illustrate the Black Swan potential that this new technology will have on different industries worldwide, but specifically the massive impact it may have on the restaurant industry.

An overwhelming amount of technology has become the norm in the restaurant industry.  Operators are struggling with basic questions, such as:

- How much technology is necessary?

- Which solutions have been proven to enhance the customer experience?

- Where does technology investments provide the greatest competitive advantage?

During this session, industry experts will offer insights into how technology has dramatically changed the food service industry by improving the guest experience, increasing average check size, and boosting cash flow. Additionally, panelists will discuss technology trends that can put your restaurant ahead of the food service evolution by driving digital guest personalization and suggestive sell.

No one can predict the future with certainty, but when it comes to keeping up with digital transformation, if your organization is not ahead, you’re already behind. From the Internet of Things to Big Data, emerging tech is transforming foodservice before our eyes. How do you separate the shiny objects from legitimate problem solvers? We discuss employee-facing and customer-facing technologies that are changing the game for food retailers and restaurants.

With 40 years of restaurant technology expertise, PAR has transformed from a hardware focused organization to a software led solutions company; now providing customers with a cloud-based approach to processes and management, including Big Data, a myriad of third party integrations via our open API, and in- store/above store operations.

Learn how PAR Technology has “disrupted” itself during this journey, and how our unique position in the market has given us a competitive edge.

The restaurant industry certainly isn’t for sissies; it takes brains, energy, enthusiasm, creativity and drive to succeed.  Come learn from our panel of successful restaurant operators what they see are the biggest challenges restaurant operators face today and hear their suggestions for how to overcome them.

From back-of-the-house to customer facing initiatives, the demands of the hyperconnected consumer, along with emerging technologies, are putting pressures on supply chains like never before. Peer into the Intelligent Supply Chain of the Future to explore how you can begin to answer key questions such as… How can your technology infrastructure enable future connected devices to create seamless, efficient and secure interactions? What can you do to transform and strengthen brand experiences? Are you setting up the framework to support cost efficiencies and increased accuracy in demand and supply planning?  And, what about IoT, Block Chain, Digitization, and AI?

Join Vince Crimaldi, Capgemini Restaurants Leader, and John Meister, Panera CIO, in an interactive discussion on the technology forces changing the guest experience, and approaches to building the emotional-connect with your guests in this context.

Topics will include:

• The impact to the experience of implementing technology the "wrong way" 
• Surprise and delight. It’s not always about value - customer service, convenience
• Experience done right, with technology and the value of an integrated capability approach
• "Happy" and "unhappy" path

Third-party delivery companies like Uber Eats and DoorDash have been growing insanely fast with the market 4 times the size it was just 2 years ago. Driven by consumers, this change has been thrust upon restaurants with a lot of unknowns. In this forum, we’ll go over everything from negotiation tricks to secrets being employed at top 20 restaurant brands so your restaurant can take advantage of Third-party delivery.

From in-store to digital, new customer acquisition to rewards, and dine-in to delivery, technology is changing faster than ever. Staying on top of trends, assessing emerging technologies, and implementing new technologies with confidence can be challenging. Successfully leveraging new technologies can lead to improved guest experiences, optimized operations, and increased revenue. But, failing to adopt the right technology, suffering a poor rollout, or being held back by a lack of purposeful integrations can limit ROI and have catastrophic consequences. Our expert panel will share their insights, tips, and recommendations for choosing the right technology, implementing new technology, and building a technology ecosystem that can carry you into the future.

 Every industry vertical serving the consumer has been impacted by digital disruption. Businesses have rushed to deliver services online and in the brick and mortar world to keep up with this disruption, meet customer expectations around engagement and experience, and maintain relevancy with the consumer. While the investments in digitization have been significant, the resulting increase in available consumer data has opened up opportunities to automate business processes drive them to optimality through the application of AI.

In today’s culture, social media takes precedence in defining a restaurant’s image and identity. Restaurant owners no longer have control over which content is public facing knowledge due to social apps and crowd sharing, and the consumer dining experience has a significant impact on the way a brand is perceived.
 
Cloud based solutions, remote sensor technologies, and task management methods can protect your customers and your brand, to ensure food safety standards are being met.

John Moody is a Co-Founder of Restaurant365, an enterprise accounting, back-office, and reporting solution specific to the restaurant industry. He has more the 20 years’ experience in helping companies leverage technology to streamline operations, improve financial management, and use actionable reporting. In 2002, John’s company won the prestigious Best Mobile Enterprise Solution at the Microsoft Developer’s Conference. Since then, he continues to help companies by combining the latest technologies in mobile, business systems, and reporting.

The restaurant of the future scraps antiquated service models to give customers the best possible service while cutting costs and boosting profits at the same time. Next generation digital restaurants leverage new tech like digital buildings, self-healing technology, and Internet Protocol (IP)-based systems to create a seamless dining experience for guests and staff. Lower construction costs, improve scheduling, and automate back-of-house and front-of-house systems to take your business to the next level.

In this session, learn from experts on how to implement a network security strategy that achieves compliance and secures the numerous internet connected systems in your store(s). You’ll hear from members of the U.S. Secret Service’s Electronic Crimes Task Force, and work with your peers to understand best practices, develop a better understanding of how to simplify processes and develop a checklist for compliance.

With the expanding digital footprint within restaurants comes more internet dependent business operations. Cloud-based POS systems, digital menu boards, customer kiosks and other guest experience technologies are fueled by secure and reliable internet availability. At the same time merchants continue to be attractive targets for cyber criminals. It is important to understand the risks in today’s cyber-security environment, so you can implement secure operations while at the same time enabling a customer-friendly experience.

This overview of the technology needed to execute off-premise will dig into some of the current, ongoing logistical and integration issues for operators, as well as provide insights into the solutions and how the market will continue to adapt and evolve.

An entrepreneur, author and most notably the co-founder of Square, Jim McKelvey talks about how market demand is the driving force behind innovation, with those leading the charge able to identify and recognize a need to act, react and create change.

Artificial Intelligence holds promise to deliver on restaurants' digital-first strategy. But how do brands integrate AI in a way that puts guests first and delivers value to the restaurant? In this session, we'll discuss strategies for deploying AI that works -- from guest engagement to ordering to loyalty and care. We'll also discuss how to get started and how to scale your AI investment to meet your needs.

Did you know Gen Z’s will be 40% of the population by 2020? Come learn how to successfully market your restaurant to Gen Z’s! This forum will cover everything from rising industry trends, different ways technology has influenced decision-making, and lastly what key components Gen Z’s look for when starting their dining journey.

You have so many ordering channels to support now – POS, online, mobile, drive thru, voice, chat – list goes on.  And then you again need to figure out how to consolidate customer data from all these channels and deliver unified customer experience for your brand. How all your channels should converge to one single ordering engine and deliver unique, personalized experience to your customers irrespective of whatever physical or digital way he/she reaches out to your brand.

Userful will discuss the evolution of video and display services from Farnsworth's innovation of analog television in 1927 thru breakthroughs in the latest applications of digital video and augmented reality. With the rise of iGen (Gen Z), which will represent 40% of the consumers by 2020, we must transform both the consumer experience and business operations.  From convergence of display innovation to achieving cost efficiencies to achieving your specific business objectives, we'll discuss the journey ahead.

Learn how to invest hundreds into your serving staff and get thousands in return. Tipzyy’s mobile technology tracks staff engagement and sales performance. Optimize the way you educate and reward your team that’s fun for your staff and easy for management. See how POS-integrated mobile technology increases your restaurant revenues!

The Ig Nobel Prizes honor achievements that make people LAUGH, then THINK. Every year, ten new prizes are awarded in a ceremony at Harvard University. Among the winning people and things:

The inventor of karaoke. A scientific test of the "5-second rule" about dropped food. Why woodpeckers don't get headaches. The effect of swearing on pain. A British man who lived as a goat. Scrotal asymmetry in man and ancient sculpture. The discovery of brain activity in a dead salmon. The physics of carrying hot coffee while walking. The efficiency of promoting people at random. The medical effects of sword swallowing. Creating diamonds from tequila. A centrifugal-force machine to help women give birth. The Zimbabwean government official who created the hundred-trillion-dollar bank note. Reducing kitchen refuse by using bacteria extracted from the feces of giant pandas. Murphy, of Murphy's Law. The American patent (#4,022,227) for inventing the combover. The Australian patent (#2001100012) for inventing the wheel. The medical report "Injuries Due to Falling Coconuts."

Marc Abrahams, founder of the Ig Nobel ceremony, will explain.