Bar & Restaurant Expo 2022

Cool concepts that make an impact and turn heads have been lacking in the hospitality industry since the beginning of the business. Only a small percentage of companies and independent owners have been able to build concepts that turn heads. This applies to everyday dive bars all the way to restaurants and hotels. This Seminar will teach you how to break a concept down, create a new concept, or redefine what you have in 3 easy steps. Your concept affects almost every operational decision you will have to make, from the product you should carry, to the music you should play. If you want to make more revenue, you have to make an impact with your concept.

If you feel your concept is more of an idea with a name, this workshop will have you laying out full concepts on your own with complete confidence to take your business to the next level.

Register Today!

Designing and quoting  bar and restaurant Front of the House and Back of the House concepts has always taken lots of time, has been a recipe for poor communication and costly mistakes.

That’s because consultants, designers, dealers, manufacturers and operators use different systems and have different workflows. Sometimes, it feels like they speak different languages as well.

Projects are delayed, changes are poorly communicated and frustration is common.

But there’s a new way. With a unified platform, everyone can be on the same page while projects are being scoped, designed, budgeted, adjusted and finalized. Everyone can work together seamlessly while equipment and supplies are being quoted and manufacturers can instantly get the right configurable product choices in front of the right people. All at the speed of digital.

This new way means savings along with higher operator satisfaction for all the busy people in our industry.
In this lively, highly visual and interactive session, Specifi CEO Bob Wolters talks about how this approach has been taking off in Europe and the Middle East, and is now available in North America.

Bob and his Team will take your questions and welcome your ideas as we talk about a unified ecosystem that represents a new frictionless way to do business in foodservice.

Mr. Dennis McKinley leads the Atlanta-based branding company Detroit Equities, which runs the Atlanta-based businesses CRU Hookah Lounge and the Original Hot Dog Factory. He’s also owner of NYAK Cognac, which is now the fastest-growing cognac brand in U.S. history.

Currently, he helps entrepreneurs and small businesses build their brands through strategic investments, and some of his previous background experience also includes real estate, e-commerce, and product development. At the Bar & Restaurant Expo, McKinley will discuss the importance of brand partnerships, crowdfunding, franchising and getting investors.

A case study of a specific and very real-life bar failure. By examining the errors made during business timelines (planning, operations, closure), future operators will be able to identify problems before they become business killers. The main takeaways of this session will be 1) How to conduct proper market research, 2) manage an existing concept or transition to a new one, 3) team development, and 4) how all those factors combine can lead to either the success or failure of a concept. Join Jacob Trevino as he walks through the issues of his own concept, Golden Sparrow, to show attendees how this failure happened in real time and how the decisions were made, and which decisions should have been made instead.

Throughout the history of business, there have been “haves and have nots.” The barriers to business entry are tough enough, but consistently greater for BIPOC, women and minorities, the aged and people with disabilities. The bias is systemic and, largely, unconscious. The hospitality industry can lead the way in combatting the challenges faced by entrepreneurs, providing greater and more equal opportunity and support for the next generation of leaders, products, services, locations. Jackie Summers conquered decades of challenges through perseverance, the support of others in this industry, and his superior “new” product. Join him as he shares both the fundamental and logical applications of what he’s learned and accomplished in creating his 25-year “overnight success!”

Michael Adams is the Sr. Director of Innovation, Sustainability and Marketing for WinCup. He joined the company in September, 2020 to help launch and build the phade brand of PHA based straws and stirrers while also helping build an stronger new product development infrastructure and leading the companies Sustainability efforts. Prior to joining WinCup, Michael help marketing leadership roles at Gleim Publishing, IMG Academy and TRX where he focused on developing the overall marketing structure for each company, while building the brand and product portfolios and optimizing the digital footprint for each company. Prior to these roles, Michael spent over 20 years in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry where he held brand and category leadership positions at Georgia-Pacific Corporation, Kraft Heinz and Pepsico, working on brands such as Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Juice, Ore-Ida Frozen Potatoes, Brawny Paper Towels and Quilted Northern Bath Tissue. Michael graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School with a BS in Economics.

Every hospitality tenant should be asking about and negotiating with its landlord many terms. Obvious terms to discuss are the length of the lease and the cost of rent. However, what about the not-so-obvious terms? What happens if the venue changes its concept, what happens if the business must be sold, who pays for fixing things in the venue, and what if the business fails? This seminar concentrates on providing an overview of major commercial lease terms related to bars, restaurants, and nightclubs – both small and large – which should all be addressed. There will be time for Q&A at the end of the session for more specific questions and issues.

So many factors seem to be conspiring to make it difficult if not impossible for operators to find good help or even, in some cases, any help. In this seminar participants will consider their service provision from a traditional operations management perspective, reviewing service process, service delivery systems and customer contact and be challenged to provide excellent service despite the lack of bodies that seems destined to be our future reality.

Imagine running a restaurant where your employees do what you want the way you want it done and in the timeframe you want it done. Imagine these employees also being able to take on important tasks such as ordering and scheduling so you don’t have to do everything. This is what a high functioning restaurant management team can do and every restaurant can and should have one. Attend this session with David Scott Peters, restaurant expert, coach and session speaker, to learn the who, what, when, why and how of building an effective management team and how to keep them motivated. Attendees will also learn:
- How many managers you need and how to afford them
- How to build a team of managers in training (MITs)
- The simple strategy to solve communication issues in your restaurant
- How to train managers so they know what you want and how you want it done

According to the FBI, violent crime increased overall in 2020 by 5% and has continued to increase in 2021. Murders increased by 30% primarily in larger cities. Violent crime according to the FBI is murder, robbery, sexual assault and aggravated assault. Violent crimes occurring in bars and nightclubs has also increased over the last two years. The chances of your bar or nightclub being sued after a violent crime has occurred are much higher than they were only five years ago.

This session will cover the understanding of violent crimes that occur in bars and nightclubs, the types of crimes (e.g., targeted, interpersonal, predatory) and what a responsible owner or manager should do to reasonably protect patrons from foreseeable harm. Gun related violence also continues to increase in bars and nightclubs based on societal acceptance of guns and the huge increases in gun sales year after year.
There are things that can and should be done regardless of the size and scope of your operation to meet the standard of care or what a reasonable bar owner or manager should do including an action plan in the event of an active shooter, having an adequate surveillance system, and having procedures demonstrating your commitment to preventing or reducing violent crime.

With a Smaller Sq.Ft. Footprint and Seating - "It's possible!" to increase F&B Top Line Revenue with Limited Staff & $0 Price Increase.

• Seat Yielding
• Efficient Side Station
• Ticket Times Decrease
• Staging
• Deep Dive into the Product mix
• Hourly Labor Needed to produce and Serve Food you're selling?
• Pareto Principle 80/20 Rule
• Fewer steps Your Staff "Walking with Purpose."

Back by popular demand again, Bar & Restaurant board member Michael Tipps and the Invictus Hospitality (IH) team detail the journey of taking a first-time B&R attendee all the way to opening their first bar. Sitting in the audience in 2019 , Billy-Joe Hunt and Suzanne Hunt were just weeks away from beginning the process of deciding to relocate to Lakeway, Texas and open their first bar/restaurant. Already successful in their individual careers, they came to the Bar & Restaurant expo to find the answers they needed to move forward and bring their dream to fruition.

After sitting in the two-hour seminar, Billy-Joe and Suzanne began the journey with the IH team- from name, concept, location, Construction, budget hiring, and even owner training. Everything began to evolve resulting in the opening of “The gramercy” in October 2020 . This year’s seminar includes members of Invictus Hospitality team along with the Hunt’s detailing the ups and downs of the journey with complete transparency and a Q&A.

The hospitality secrets that can’t simply be “googled” about opening a bar or restaurant will be revealed through a real-life working example, in real-time, with real people. Regardless if you are an experienced operator who is looking to refresh the concept, need to find some inspiration, or if you dream of having your own bar or restaurant, then this seminar will not disappoint. Will you be the one to be featured on stage next year?

In this session, operators will learn how to combat rising product costs and the steps needed to avoid margin erosion. We will walk through the 5 critical steps needed to reverse operational deficiencies, and discover what changes the best in class operators are making to improve Food & Bar costs.
Session objectives include answers to:
— What operational tools should my team be using to control food/bar costs?
— How often should I be raising my menu prices?
— How do I conduct a menu market survey of my competitors?
— Am I getting the best prices from my vendors?
— How do I negotiate better prices from my suppliers?
Come learn these best practices from Ray Villaman, owner/operator of Tahoe Restaurant Group, and nationally recognized Base Camp Pizza, ranked by USA Today as the #4 Favorite Pizzeria in the country.

One of the year’s biggest stories – and more so for the hospitality industry, of course – has been the disturbance in the supply chain and the attendant product delays and shortages. For operators who need reliability around their goods and stability around pricing, the year continues to provide challenges, and likely will for the foreseeable future. Whether you’re a single enterprise or part of a larger organization, learn from the experts about how to manage and succeed in an uncertain environment.