Branding and Creating Regular Customer Panels at Southwest Foodservice Expo

The Texas Restaurant Association has asked me to moderate SW Foodservice Expo panels on both Branding and Creating Regular Customers.  I appreciate the opportunity to make important contributions to thinking in the industry.   The panel discussions will take place at the Texas Restaurant Association’s upcoming Southwest Food Service Expo – Education Idea Center June 24-25 at the Dallas Convention Center.
How to Grow a Regular Customer Sunday, June 24, 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
Every restaurant owner dreams of a house full of happy, loyal customers.  “How do I develop and nurture a regular?” may seem like an obvious question, but if it were easy to answer, tables would always be full. Successful restaurateurs will share how they’ve nurtured and grown regular customers.

The panel:

• Ed Murph, Norma’s Café
• Jack Perkins, Maple & Motor
• Seth Smith, Lee Harvey’s

Who Do You Think You Are? A Branding Reality Check Sunday, June 24, 1:30 to 2:30 pm
Explain your brand in seven words or less. Not easy, is it? Yet, if you can’t communicate what you stand for, you can be sure your customers and competitors will do it for you.  How do you identify your brand? Once you’ve identified it, how do you make sure it is carried through every aspect of your operation? CEOs from some of the most successful and strongly branded restaurant concepts in the industry will share their insights into how to find out and tell everyone exactly who you are.

The panel:

• Antonio Swad, Pizza Patron
• Carl Howard, Fazoli’s
• John Longstreet, Quaker Steak and Lube

Take the opportunity to come to Expo, it’s a great way to keep up with your peers and new trends in the industry. I hope to see you at the Education Idea Center, around the show floor, and at events during Expo.