This much is obvious: For many, the business model must change.
The last months have shown that the sale of food and drinks does not necessarily have to depend on tables and chairs in the dining room. But how? What is the right concept? The right menu? The right kitchen set-up?
With the support of award-winning editor Michael Jones and Stephan Leuschner from RATIONAL, dive into in a series of the most exciting topics that gastronomy currently has to offer.
In each webinar you'll hear different perspectives from specialists and the opportunities ahead.
Interesting for:
Tuesday, 08th of July 2025.
Constant cost pressure, energy and resource waste, outdated workflows, these and many more challenges have a negative impact on the margins within the catering industry. Our group of expert speakers will show solutions and great references how to streamline the operation, to improve conditions for the people, save the environment and boost your business.
Meet RATIONAL's very own Martin Wolf, Johannes Raudaschl from Dishtracker and Darpan Patel from Compass Group.
Tuesday, 06th of May 2025.
..get out of the kitchen? - No, we will give you many reasons why to stay! This TrendTalk session will feature illustrious, inspiring chefs from all over the world who will speak about their unique skills, experiences and challenges.
Meet Vojtech Vegh, the "godfather" of food-waste prevention and author of the book "Surplus: The Food Waste Guide for Chefs", Earl Gray, iconic chef and entrepreneur with a holistic approach to cooking—one that merges technique, sustainability, and artistic presentation and once again, Rehan Uddin, culinary visionary and dynamic leader in the world of Pan-Asian cuisine and Head Chef of restaurant Indi-Yang.
The coming TrendTalk is moderated again by Michael Jones & Stephan M. Leuschner
Tuesday, 11th of February 2025.
The coming TrendTalk Restaurant & QSR will ask the question: "Where is the industry heading to in 2025?". Implementing new technologies, adding value or focus new food trends, all this will be discussed during our exciting live panel featuring industry experts Doug Fryett (Fryett Consulting Group), Paul Hanniffy (RSCS a Yum! Brands Co-op) and Dirk Friedlein (RATIONAL AG).
Moderated once again by Michael Jones & Stephan Leuschner.
Tuesday, 19th of November 2024.
Are plant-based proteins the future? How can Snacks and fast-food become healthier? Can packaging be functional but also sustainable?
Changing customer demand has shaped the foodservice industry massively during the recent years. The focus on sustainability on food product and packaging side, new plant-based offers and changed eating habits have a big influence on future developments. During this TrendTalk session our experts from the food & packaging industry will share their views and insights and give an outlook on future trends. Meet Pascal Bieri, Co-Founder of Planted Foods, Carsten Vesper, Sales Director of ProAmpac, and Lilly-Marie Schmidt, RATIONAL’s Food & Packaging expert live.
Moderated by Michael Jones & Stephan Leuschner.
Wednesday, 11th of September 2024.
What challenges are driving hotel F&B with regards to the attraction, skill development, and retention of staff? What are the expectations of Millennials and GenZ and what are the possible solutions for addressing them? Is there room for improvement?
These and many other questions will be answered during a vibrant discussion between our hotel experts Michael Butler, Founder & Managing Director at Captivate Culinary Connections; Michelle Viola Kilmey from MeetingPoint Hotels; Ian Keating, Hotel Manager at The Dean Hotel; Gisela Ciancio of GC People Consultancy; and Mohit Malhotra, RATIONAL AG's very own Segment Director Hotels.
The coming TrendTalk by RATIONAL will be moderated again by Michael Jones & Stephan Leuschner.
The recent years changed the entire catering industry, whether impact of the pandemic, new ways of working or simply new demands and food trends, catering has to evolve to stay relevant and to successfully compete with restaurants, food delivery or retail options. Meet the experts from the industry live and learn more about the future of catering. This TrendTalk will feature Lloyd Mann, Vice President Culinary of Sodexo, Oliver Fischer, Director Group Culinary at Gategroup, Carl Jacobs, CEO & Co-founder of Apicbase as well as RATIONAL's Martin Wolf and Stephan Leuschner.
With a fresh start in 2024, our coming TrendTalk by RATIONAL will focus on the restaurant industry and which importance sustainability has in today’s agenda. Can restaurants serve the world sustainably?
These and many other questions will be answered by our industry experts Kaj Török, Chief Sustainability Officer of MAX Burgers, the award winning Swedish QSR brand which was the first worldwide to offer a climate positive menu, Andrew Maxwell, Director and board member of Boojum, Ireland’s largest chain of Mexican quick service restaurants and RATIONAL AG’s very own Dirk Friedlein and Stephan M. Leuschner who will discuss their insights how sustainability has impacted the strategy of restaurant chains globally.
TrendTalk will be moderated once again by Michael Jones, award winning writer, Editorial Director of 1473 Media and founder of Encaustum Ltd.
The 14th session of TrendTalk will bring together foodservice experts, entrepreneurs and chefs from all over the world so that food cultures truly meet in this colorful and vibrant event. Meet Tim Vasilakis (The Athenian), Jeff Kipp (REEF Kitchens), Rehan Uddin (Indi-Yang) and Stephan m. Leuschner (RATIONAL AG) on the virtual stage. Moderated again by Michael Jones.
Challenging the Status Quo in our 13th TrendTalk session will be Rishi Nigam, the founder and CEO of eCommerce platform Franklin Junction, renown business analyst and writer Brittain Ladd followed by Ghost Kitchen entrepreneur and founder of Noahs, Daniel Baven as well as Stephan M. Leuschner, founder of TrendTalk and RATIONAL’s Ghost Kitchen expert. Together they will discuss latest trends and challenges which will shape the future of foodservice and Hospitality industry. Moderated once again by award winning author and editor Michael Jones.
Looking over the edge of the plate will be Carl Jacobs, CEO of Apicbase, a worldwide F&B management platform. He will explain how F&B businesses can scale their operations easily. Amin Sheikh, the founder and CEO of Instazap – Ireland's first super app for instant needs – will share his insights about the future of supply chain and logistics. Dec Penfold, founder of Dec’s kitchen, the man behind many successful F&B operations, explains what it takes to develop a successful culinary concept. And finally, Stephan M. Leuschner, founder of TrendTalk and RATIONAL’s ghost kitchen expert, will share the latest news and an update from the recent International Ghost Kitchen Conference in Amsterdam. TrendTalk will again be moderated by Michael Jones, award-winning editorial director of FCSI's portfolio.
With an energetic start into 2023, TrendTalk by RATIONAL will return with insights and inspiration how to grow your business within the foodservice industry with new strategies and optimized processes.
Ashwin Kamlani, Co-Founder and CEO of Juicer will tell you how dynamic pricing in F&B can change your future and Syed Sair Ali, CEO of Blink will share his solution how brand operators can reduce their dependency on aggregators. Andrew Martino, founder of Ghost Truck Kitchen will present his success model by operating hybrid ghost kitchens and his simple mission: “to make take-out and delivery better“, followed by RATIONAL’s Stephan M. Leuschner who will present an outlook in trends around sustainability and efficiency in foodservice operations.
The highly acclaimed TrendTalk by RATIONAL series will go into the 10th round now with the disruptive question: “Ghost Kitchens: A safe harbor in stormy waters?“ During the recent month there have been many changes in the food-delivery eco system and new players and concepts are chasing the current leaders. This and the upcoming financial crisis worldwide as well as the fallout of the post-pandemic world have created a lot of questions.
Our featured speakers Pete Cook, founder and president of On-Trend Concepts, Robert Emerson, author and Co-founder at O2O Gourmet, Brandon Kua, Foodservice consultant as well as Stephan M. Leuschner from RATIONAL will bring light into these topics. Our experts will share their visions and concepts, which role ghost kitchens will have in future and give guidance how to overcome the storm.
Producing good food is one thing. The other is to get that food to the customer as quickly, hot, and comfortably as possible. To know the customer's needs and generate new business ideas as a result. And that is precisely what the latest episode of Trend Talk is about and introduces the "Visionaries of the Foodservice Industry".
Among others, Kristian Tazbazian, Co-Founder and COO of GASTronomous, Shawn P. Walchef, Chief Visionary Officer of Cali BBQ Media, and Haitham Al-Beik, CEO and Founder of Wings, will give insights into their work. RATIONAL's Stephan Leuschner will also once again present new concepts and solutions for food production and delivery.
TrendTalk Session 8 – “The Evolution of Ghost Kitchens“ will have a look on how the Ghost Kitchen world has changed and which models seem to become successful in the near future. Simele Shange from Jozi Cloud Kitchens, South Africa, will return to the TrendTalk and have a look back into one year of successful operations. Melina Michna, Co-Founder of Munich based startup nourisha, shares her story behind an exciting new vegan food delivery model. Daniel Gantenberg, Managing Director of the German restaurant Group Enchilada will talk about the success of his brands and how their brick and mortar restaurants as well as virtual restaurants can coexist. Finally Stephan Leuschner of RATIONAL will discuss how hybrid models may help to increase the rentability of ghost kitchens. Once again the session is moderated by Michael Jones.
This upcoming webinar will feature again a selection of outstanding speakers who will address the burning topics of the foodservice industry of today and tomorrow. Peter Backman, a renowned foodservice and delivery consultant, will highlight the current challenges of restaurant and grocery delivery from global point of view and will provide an outlook of what to expect in the next years. Matthias Schneider, gastro-entrepreneur and founder of CloudEatery will guide us through his vison of a contemporary hospitality solution, focusing on his team delivered a great food experience and fresher quality in a new hybrid concept that combines catering, casual dining and food delivery.
Stephan Leuschner, RATIONAL’s foodservice industry expert, will describe cutting-edge ways for operators to reduce food waste, increase efficiency and optimize the workflow in restaurants. Nigel Bell, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Adande, will focus on the ‘cool’ topic of innovative refrigeration and resource efficiency and discuss his solutions for fighting food waste by using latest technology.
Corona has significantly accelerated digitalisation in the food industry as it has in other sectors. Digitalised hygiene concepts, food preparation and ordering systems are already the new normal. Some companies have long since gone a step further, using robots and reinventing cooking, among other things. What are their experiences? What can others learn from them?
After numerous ghost kitchens have established themselves in recent years, Michael Jones looks beyond the horizon in the fifth session. Four proven experts from the food service industry show how they became successful in the ghost kitchen segment and which concepts will remain in the industry in their opinion.
Thierry Rousset, Founder & Senior Franchise Consultant
With over 30 years of experience in Franchising and Foodservice, Thierry has worked at top level positions for some of the largest restaurant franchise networks. In 2012 he founded his own company to offer his broad experience to franchisors of all sizes.
Randy Murphy, Founder and CEO of OrderB4, will answer questions like: What technology solutions are needed in a multi-brand, ghost kitchen environment? Is there an end-to-end platform that can support ecommerce and operations without having to integrate many costly and difficult to manage systems?
Marc Choy, President at Ghost Kitchen Brands
A senior, well rounded development/franchising executive with over 20 years’ international experience. Marc wants to work with brands that are growing and passionate about the impact they have on people’s lives.
Stephan Leuschner will of course return to provide insights about new concepts and address how lean kitchen processes contribute to a successful operation.
The boundaries between supermarkets and Ghost Kitchens are merging closer to each other. When supermarkets no longer just deliver food but also cooked meals? When Ghost Kitchens cooperate with supermarkets and are suddenly visible in the checkout zone.
But is it worth it? What are the prerequisites?
Michael Jones talks about this with
A Ghost Kitchen is always in flux: the menus change, the clientele grows, expansion plans emerge. In the third Trend Talk, Michael Jones shows how to be properly positioned for growth, what to consider when it comes to kitchen equipment and how successful others are on the road. Together with experts from the industry, he discusses growth opportunities and growth risks.
Success is dependent on well-planned operations – at least that's what the industry experts in this session think. We will look at the opportunities offered by ghost kitchens from several angles and provide solutions for a wide range of industries:
In a nutshell: why not plan your future success right now?
Ghost kitchens became an important part of today’s foodservice and restaurant landscape and are here to stay. But how can you make a success of this new opportunity? Pivoting your existing concept or creating a perfect ghost kitchen set-up from scratch? In this Trend Talk session Marc Dempsey from GlobalData, Joseph Schumaker FCSI from FoodSpace and Stephan Leuschner from RATIONAL address the growth potentials within the Ghost Kitchen market and present what an ideal kitchen set-up could look like and what needs to be considered.
Segment Director Catering at RATIONAL AG
Besides having a background as a professional chef and a degree in industrial engineering, Martin Wolf is RATIONAL’s expert for the catering industry. He drove innovative catering concepts and digitalization projects at his first professional station at Mercedes Benz Gastronomy. Subsequently, as Key Account Manager for RATIONAL Germany, he was responsible for successfully implementing concepts and projects with customers in southern Germany.
CEO and Co-Founder at Dishtracker
Growing up in the tourism region of Zell am See-Kaprun in Austria, Johannes Raudaschl developed an early passion for hospitality. With a background in tourism management and business studies, he gained professional experience in the international hotel industry, consulting, and the startup ecosystem. As CEO and Co-Founder of Dishtracker, he now drives AI-based food recognition and digitalization projects for the catering and hospitality industry, leading the company from startup to scale-up.
Director Ghost Kitchen & Broadcast – RATIONAL
RATIONAL’s expert for international foodservice industry and ghost kitchen projects, business consultant and former Executive Chef will share insights how to develop your individual solution to setup optimized kitchens for delivery-only purpose. In 2021 he found the TrendTalk by RATIONAL Series and is moderating and directing this international format since.
Director Indi-Yang & Asian Restaurant Owners Network (ARON)
Rehan Uddin, a culinary visionary and dynamic leader in the world of Pan Asian cuisine. As the Head Chef of Indi-Yang, an acclaimed restaurant known for its award-winning Pan Asian creations, and the Managing Director of the Asian Restaurant Owners Network, Rehan Uddin has carved an indelible mark on the culinary landscape. With a passion for unifying ingredients from across Asia, Rehan Uddin has masterfully crafted a culinary symphony that captures the essence of diverse cultures. His journey, rooted in a British Bengali, Pakistani, and Indian heritage, has enriched his palette with an unparalleled wealth of spice knowledge. Beyond his kitchen mastery, Rehan Uddin is also an Asian expert ambassador for Rational AG, a role that exemplifies his commitment to pushing culinary boundaries.
Zero-Waste chef, author & culinary advisor
Vojtech Vegh is a zero-waste, plant based chef and author of the book Surplus: The Food Waste Guide for Chefs. In 2018, he opened the world’s first zero-waste and vegan restaurant in Cambodia, and now his work is focused on helping other chefs reduce their food waste through courses, masterclasses and consulting. During his career he worked for companies like Accor, Hilton, Four Seasons, Fairmont, Raffles, Sodexo, Thomas Franks and many more.
Editorial Director – 1473 Media
Voted 'Editor of The Year' at the CMA's International Content Marketing Association Awards 2020, Michael Jones is Editorial Director of 1473 Media and Managing Director of Encaustum Ltd. in the UK. An experienced editor, writer and event host, since 2013 he has headed up the content team for Foodservice Consultants Society International (FCSI), including its multi-award-winning, quarterly magazine Foodservice Consultant and website. Michael also writes for additional clients in the foodservice sector, including KTCHNrebel.
Segment Director Restaurants – RATIONAL
Dirk Friedlein is RATIONAL’s Segment Director Restaurants and focuses on international QSRs, Fast Casual and Casual Dining restaurant chains. With more than 30 years’ experience in the Foodservice industry, he lived and worked many years in the US, Asia, and Europe where he led sales and marketing teams that developed and implemented innovative strategies, processes, and products to generate the highest value add for customers.
Co-Founder Planted Foods AG
Pascal Bieri is one of four founders of Planted and a member of the Executive Board. Pascal grew up in Sursee and studied business administration at the University of St. Gallen, gaining an M.A. in Business Innovation. After five years with Migros Industrie in various positions, including three years in the US, he founded the ETH Foodtech Spin-off Planted in 2019 together with three co-founders. Planted is currently the fastest growing start-up in the alternative protein space in Europe. Pascal is responsible for sales and international business development.
Director Food & Packaging Supplier Management, RATIONAL AG
Lilly is a professional chef, studied food science and holds a masters degree in innovation & entrepreneurship. As a food lover with a sense for the needs in foodservice she enjoys combining food, food packaging, food science, food business and operations. She has several years of experience in concept support, concept development and loves to connect the different dots that are necessary to successfully create new ideas and approaches.
Director Group Culinary Excellence at gategroup
Oliver is one of the outstanding personalities in the European landscape when it comes to catering business. Since many years he oversees the inflight catering as the Director of Group Culinary Excellence at gategroup, based in Zurich, Switzerland. Besides that, he is also president of the “Zürcher Cercle“ the renown Swiss chefs circle. Bringing community together and organizing expert summits are just few of his outstanding activities.
Hotel Manager, The Dean Cork
Ian Keating is a Graduate of Shannon College of Hotel Management in 2020, as a recent graduate Ian has a huge passion for the Hospitality Industry, and promoting it to the next generations. Ian has held various roles in renowned brands such as Ritz-Carlton, Intercontinental, Sofitel etc.
Ian has most recently progress as a Manager in The Dean Cork, as part of The Dean Group, a boutique Hotel concept which is really challenging the Hotel norms & becoming a leader in lifestyle concepts for hospitality in Ireland.
Hotel Operations Executive, Meeting Point Hotels
Michelle is a passionate and results-driven Hotel Operations Executive, who bring extensive experience in guiding operational excellence within an international hospitality company.
Her expertise in hotel management and operational optimization encompasses developing and implementing standards. She is passionate in leading sustainability initiatives is supporting companywide F&B optimization strategies.
Founder and Managing Director, Captivate Culinary Connections
Michael Butler has worked in hotels and the food and beverage industry for over 25 years. He specialises in operational optimisation, new openings, and turnaround financial management for food and beverage. Committed to a sustainable economic and environmental impact approach to food and beverage, Michael is an advocate of the triple bottom line, focusing on the planet, people, and profit. He is a fellow of the IMEA and guest lectures at the Basque Culinary Centre in San Sebastián.
GC People Consultancy
Gisela leads her own People Consultancy between Geneva and Dubai, having more than 20 years of experience in luxury hospitality and cruises in 16 countries worldwide. Currently dedicated to building talent strategy, company culture and employer branding incorporating neuromarketing techniques, her relentless passion is that companies and employees are aligned with their purposes. She is a strategic Talent and HR operations leader with 30 years of experience in global hospitality organizations, specializing in HR set-up, leadership development, talent management. With her proven track record in designing and implementing comprehensive talent strategies she is driving continuous improvement. Adept at managing cross-functional teams, fostering a people-centric culture, and ensuring regulatory compliance.
Global VP Culinary Sodexo
Sodexo’s Global Executive Chef and head of culinary, Lloyd has spent over 30 years working in kitchens and leadership positions within the hospitality industry. Prior to joining Sodexo Lloyd has held senior positions within the contract catering sector in the UK and globally. At Sodexo, his key focuses are to continually evolve food standards across the business whilst actively promoting seasonal and sustainable food offers. Lloyd also leads the Sodexo Future Food Collective that brings together industry experts to carry out research and work with chefs on a range of food initiatives to deliver relevant, innovative, and balanced food solutions.
Co-founder and CEO of Apicbase
Carl Jacobs is co-founder and CEO of Apicbase, the leading food & beverage management platform. He’s also the host of the Food Service Growth Show, a podcast that’s entirely dedicated to sustainably scaling the food industry. Besides his work at Apicbase, Carl is also Venture Partner at Birdhouse Ventures and mentor of startups.
Chef and Owner of Teatime Culinary LLC
Earl Gray is a seasoned chef and entrepreneur. He has honed his craft in hotel kitchens, a unique and demanding culinary environment. Originally trained in French cuisine, Chef Earl has developed a distinctive style that blends French and Asian influences with a Southern touch. Committed to sustainability, he is strong advocate for reducing kitchen waste, including his past role as an ambassador for Revol’s No.W (No Waste) movement. His experience includes serving as the Executive Chef of both the BWI Marriott Hotel and the Renaissance Hotel in Baltimore, where he navigated the complexities of large-scale hospitality dining.
His collaborations include Spiceology’s Periodically Inspired interview series, Truecooks.com, “Chefs for Impact“ and “ChefsRoll’s Life or Death challenge“ for the National Kidney Foundation.
Sales Director Europe - Fiber-Based Products, ProAmpac
After completing his studies in business administration Carsten left the international hotel industry, including Accor and Renaissance, to take on sales tasks, handling customers like Henkel & Söhnlein, at that time sales partner of RedBull and Beck`s Brauerei/Inbev. Carsten Vesper has been Sales Director Europe Fiber-Based Products at ProAmpac since 2015. ProAmpac's packaging solutions help to significantly reduce the amount of food waste. His current focus is “HotFood“ to go for people on the move.
Founder & CEO of The Athenian
Tim launched The Athenian in 2014; growing from a humble market stall to a small network of locations in next to no time. Four times Award-Winning. The Athenian has gone through various stages, from Street Food, to shipping containers, to bricks and mortar and more recently to delivery only kitchens.
With 20+ locations across the UK and 8 locations across Spain, the unique success of The Athenian comes down to understanding the market, offering something unique, putting emphasis on the brand and story of the business and being able to adapt through changing times.
Operating Partner – imbiba
Andrew Maxwell, an experienced hospitality entrepreneur and technology enthusiast, has a history of successful restaurant businesses on both sides of the Atlantic. Now assigned as Operating Partner at imbiba, his former company Boojum, Ireland's largest chain of Mexican quick-service restaurants was recently acquired by the Azzuri group in the UK. Passionate about merging hospitality with technology, Andrew advocates for enhanced customer experiences through personalization, frictionless ordering, and convenience. Currently, his expertise is put to use as a consultant to the industry.
Culinary Director, REEF Kitchens UK & Europe
A trained professional chef for the past 25 years, Jeff has been enamored with the virtual restaurants and the democratization of food. As a charter team member of REEF, he is responsible for the activation of content for the business in the UK and Europe.
REEF builds the ecosystem that connects the world to your block, connecting proximity with a diversity of content. REEF transforms commercial kitchens into Multi-Brand units, providing the expertise, technology and a network of 100+ leading food brands to enable partners to seamlessly operate multiple brands from a single unit, for both delivery and in-house sales.
Founder of fryett consulting group
Doug Fryett is the founder and President of the fryett consulting group, an organization engaged in employing contemporary management thinking and processes to today’s management challenges. Doug founded his consulting practice in 1989 after a successful senior management career in the food service industry. In addition, he is an adjunct professor in Centenary College of Louisiana’s Executive MBA program where he teaches Strategy & Policy as well as Entrepreneurship. He serves on a number of boards for both profit- and non-profit organizations including the University of Nevada Las Vegas’ (UNLV). Doug is the recent recipient of the “Industry Influencer Award“ awarded by Pride Centric Marketing, as well as the “Chairman’s Award“ from F.E.A. (Foodservice Equipment Association).
Co-Founder and CEO of Franklin Junction
Rishi is co-founder and CEO of Franklin Junction, the world’s first and largest Host Kitchen® marketplace, which allows restaurants to monetize underutilized kitchen capacity by selling secondary brands for delivery only. Previously, Rishi has served in the executive office of companies in the sports entertainment, restaurant, and airport industries.
Co-founder and CEO of Noahs
Daniel leads a team of entrepreneurs innovating the traditional franchise model with multi-brand kitchen architecture and operating software. In addition to this, he is working closely with entrepreneurs in the fast casual sector to streamline and optimize their brands for international expansion, through Noahs franchise system and brand platform.
Founder & CEO Instazap
Amin is the Founder & CEO @ Instazap - Ireland's First Super App for Instant needs. He is highly qualified IT Professional with 16+ years of experience in multiple domains. Amin has been a part of start-ups ranging from Retail to a Digital Agency, Renewable Energy & a BPO Company. He is a generalist at the intersection of technological sciences & humanities, busy building futuristic yet more connected world using vulnerability, compassion & empathy as core foundations.
Analyst & Business Writer
Brittain is a globally recognized expert on the topics of strategy, supply chain management, and logistics. He has 20-years of global experience working in retail, Oil and Gas, automotive, aerospace and defense, chemicals, and hi-tech industries. Brittain is one of the leading business writers and analysts writing articles for Forbes, brittainladd.com and LinkedIn.
Founder Dec‘s Kitchen
Dec is the founder of Dec's Kitchen, a food consultancy that works with FMCG brands, businesses and influencers all over the world to create successful food brands and projects.
A chef by trade and former Deliveroo Development & Operations Chef, Dec has 15+ years of experience in varied roles across the food & hospitality sector. He has delivered a range of impressive hospitality projects, inclusive of pop up food markets, physical restaurants and global dark kitchen chains. Dec knows what it takes for a restaurant, menu or food project to be effective and is one of the go-to consultancy within the dark kitchen world.
CEO and Founder of Wings
Wings is an industrial research and design technology company digitizing commercial, logistical workflows, and operations with cutting-edge robotics, automation, machine learning, and AI. Wings is revolutionizing the last-mile delivery by automating and digitizing the fulfillment and distribution segment of the supply chain with a vertically integrated system.
Founder & CEO, Ghost Truck Kitchen - Principal, Martino Hospitality
Andrew is a trailblazer in the ghost kitchen industry, founding Ghost Truck Kitchen (GTK) in 2017 with a simple mission: to make take out and delivery better. Better meant higher quality ingredients, more creative options, eco-friendly packaging, order ahead technology and a digital ordering experience that mimics being at a food truck festival. GTK's unique hybrid model blends digital and analog hospitality while using best in class technology to enhance the customer experience. As the GK industry evolves, Andrew is continuously on the cutting edge with a newer hybrid model set to open in 2023 in Jersey City, NJ focused on takeout, delivery and group dining.
Co-Founder/CEO of JUICER
Ashwin Kamlani is the Co-Founder and CEO of JUICER, bringing dynamic pricing to the restaurant industry. Armed with a technology background from Accenture and PwC and a Masters from the Cornell Hotel School, Ashwin built his career as an innovator and thought leader around e-commerce in the hotel industry for 20 years. He launched JUICER in October 2021 with other tech leaders from the hospitality and travel industries to help restaurants implement effortless dynamic pricing to increase revenue and profitability. JUICER is already working with enterprise restaurant groups and has a global footprint covering the US, Europe, and the Middle East.
Cofounder and CEO, Blink Co Technologies
Sair is the CEO of Blink Co Technologies which enable F&B brands, including QSR chains and multi-brand cloud kitchens, with direct online ordering capabilities to improve their profitability by reducing their dependency on aggregators. Blink Co Technologies has raised $4M to date to achieve this goal.
Prior to this, Sair built a VC-funded food-delivery aggregator where he got insights into the food delivery operations and growth. Realizing the lost opportunity for F&B brands to build and grow their direct online ordering channels.
Owner of AMT Client Catering Consultancy Ltd
Andy is from the UK and is a multi award winning Chef and Operations Director. He has been working in the catering industry for over 32 years. His career has taken him around the world and given him great insight and opportunities. From industrial bakeries and highstreets brand development, to high net worth Client dining for the richest people in Asia to first in class lounge service, wellness solutions for education and business, large volume events and banqueting, logistic and centralised production solutions. Andy’s diverse experience in operational and project management gives him a creative mindset in the art of the possible for any business.
Author and Co-founder O2O Gourmet
Robert is an analyst, investor and author in the food industry. During the course of a 40-year career he advised PepsiCo on its acquisitions of both Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. Furthermore he was the largest investor in restaurant companies including Landry’s Seafood, Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon, Morton’s of Chicago and Chart House.
Founder and president On-Trend Concepts
As Founder and President of OnTrend Concepts, Pete and his business partners organize the leading in-person events in the ghost kitchen industry, including the North American-focused Ghost Kitchen Conference and they have recently launched the International Ghost Kitchen Conference. Pete is also the Publisher of the weekly news aggregator the Ghost Kitchen Digest.
Consultant
Brandon is a passionate foodservice, laundry and waste management consultant with over 11 years’ experience in creating aesthetic and functional spaces with an innovative edge. He has a creative mindset and enjoys exploring new trends and technology in kitchen decor and design. He is excited about the use of ghost kitchens in nurturing nurture new startups and providing support for multi-site operators. He believes that ghost kitchens are a disruptive trend that will shape the future of the restaurant business, and is excited to engage in a discussion surrounding how ghost kitchens’ flexibility can help startups and multi-site restaurants thrive.
Consulting Director GlobalData Plc
Mark brings over 20 years of experience in the foodservice, retail and FMCG sectors to GlobalData. Mark joined the GlobalData team in 2017 following five years living in Canada where he was an insights leader for PepsiCo and strategy consulting leader for the NPD group. In his role at GlobalData, Mark brings bold thought-leadership to global partners across the manufacturer, retailer and distributor segments.
Co-Founder / COO of GASTronomous
GASTronomous is passionate about creating the “kitchen of the future“ using automation, artificial intelligence, along with integrated software and hardware solutions. They are passionate about creating unique systems, which address the inefficiencies associated of cooking processes, supply chain management, and waste disposal. Through his previous work with start-ups, Kristian has direct experience in implementing innovative technologies throughout various industries.
Chief Visionary Officer of Cali BBQ Media
Shawn is the founder of Cali BBQ Media, podcast host, and business coach. Since opening Cali BBQ in 2008, his family-run restaurant and media company in San Diego has generated more than $30 million in sales. As a restaurateur Shawn learned to use digital tools and big ideas to stay in business. During the Pandemic, the Cali BBQ Media team developed a scalable plan that is three times more profitable than the traditional full-service restaurant model.
Managing Director at Enchilada Franchise GmbH
Daniel has been Managing Director at Enchilada Franchise GmbH since January 2020 and is responsible for the Operations and Concept Management departments. At the same time, Daniel Gantenberg has been Managing Director of GastroExperts, a management consultancy for restaurateurs, since 2016. Prior to that, Daniel himself was a partner and managing director of businesses in the Enchilada Group. Daniel studied Information Management at the University of Koblenz-Landau.
Co-Founder and CEO nourisha.de
On a mission to make the German food system more convenient, healthy and sustainable, Melina co-founded nourisha, a healthy meal delivery service centered around indulgence, health prevention and longevity. The healthy meal-delivery company made good-for-you, ready-to-eat meals accessible nationwide while offering nutritional guidance to its customers and followers.
Melina studied business administration at DHBW Ravensburg and Columbia University and has a background in the lifestyle und luxury goods industry.
Co-Founder Jozi Cloud Kitchens
Simele Shange is the Co-Founder and CEO of Jozi Cloud Kitchens, South Africa's biggest ghost kitchen provider. The start-up currently has 2 locations in the heart of Johannesburg and is home to 16 kitchens, taking up over 1000 square meters of retail space, leased out to food entrepreneurs. Simele is also the founder of Jozi Feast, a multi restaurant ordering app that allows consumers to order from any or all their brands, located in their kitchens, currently there are over 20 brands on the Jozi Feast app.
Co-Founder Jozi Cloud Kitchens
Khalipha has been an investment specialist for over 11 years and holds an MBA from Cambridge. I am an experienced financial professional and I have used this to help build the biggest ghost kitchen facility in South Africa.
Executive Chairman and CEO Adande Refrigeration Ltd
After graduating from Birmingham University as an Engineer, Nigel spent 30 years with Shell Chemicals and affiliates in commercial and general management roles running businesses in different parts of the world. Many of these businesses had high technical and intellectual property content. In 2006 began Nigel Chairing and investing in small growth businesses.
He joined Adande in 2008 and worked with the team to drive revenue growth. Nigel is involved in many aspects of the Adande businesses and is leading in strategic areas, including marketing, licensing and new technology commercialisation. Adande is known for its world leading sustainable refrigerated drawers and, more recently, for the newer, breakthrough technology, Aircell, for open display cabinets.
Food Service & Delivery Consultant
Peter is an expert on the structure and dynamics of the foodservice sector, and its supply chain, in the UK, across Europe, and in other major international regions and countries including the USA and India. He has made a speciality of his involvement in restaurant delivery, dark kitchens and virtual brands. He enlightens senior executives and other people who make significant decisions in the foodservice sector including investors, operators and suppliers to the sector.
Peter is the author of “Restaurants also sell food“ – published in London, Toronto and Chicago. He is also a founder and past Chairman of Arena, the UK pan-industry networking organisation that he was instrumental in setting up twenty-five years ago. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Hospitality.
Co-Founder & CEO CloudEatery
Matthias Schneider is a gastro-entrepreneur and passionate gourmet. In the last 20 years he has developed several of his own food brands and advised leading food companies on innovation and digitalization. Matthias has extensive experience in business development, innovation and change management, sales and marketing, and corporate finance, due to his experience as a hospitality specialist for PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Arthur Andersen. He is a founder of several start-ups, mostly in the food and nutrition industry. He is also a speaker at various industry events. Most of all, Matthias is passionate communicator with enthusiastic sales skills and a confident supporter for sustainability and a respectful working culture.
FCSI, Founder and CEO FoodSpace
After graduating with honors from the California Culinary Academy, San Francisco, Joe co-founded Cosmopolitan Catering in Sunnyvale, CA. Joe left Cosmo in 2015 and started FoodSpace where he and his team consult as experts in kitchen design, foodservice management, food business growth strategy and mentorship.
Founder & CEO Kiwi Restaurant Partners
With over 25 years of hospitality management in luxury and casual dining, Troy brings a breadth of knowledge and diverse experience. He has built new concepts, redesigned and rebranded existing restaurants and hotels, and improved upon well-established venues throughout the U.S.
Best Selling Author/VP Operations, Kitchen United
Carl is a global retail executive who has worked on disruption from within (BP-owned ampm) and from without (GV-backed startup Kitchen United). At ampm, Carl was responsible for repositioning. At Kitchen United, he established the operating model and led customer success by working closely with restaurant partners.
Board Member, Author, Speaker & Advisor
Meredith has spent a decade navigating changing consumer demands and real estate environments for restaurants. As Chief Development Officer at Taco Bell, Meredith reignited unit growth after the 2008-2009 recession. Over the last three years, Meredith has met with every major restaurant company, food-tech company, real estate company, and VC investor who is exploring the online food revolution.
CEO at Piestro - Founder at Kitchen United - BOD at Miso Robotics
Because of his constant pursuit for innovation in the food industry, Massimo made the Top Ten in the 2020 NRN Power List of Restaurant Leaders. After launching Kitchen United in 2017, he drove all aspects of design innovations of KU Kitchen Centers. As KU “Idea Man“ Massimo's goal became to design and deliver a perfect workspace for virtual restaurants. With a keen eye for innovation and technology Massimo sits among others on the board of Miso Robotics.
Founder & Senior Franchise Consultant
With over 30 years of experience in Franchising and Foodservice, Thierry has worked at top level positions for some of the largest restaurant franchise networks such as Subway, McDonald's, Burger King, as well as more recently for Spanish restaurant group Avanza Foods as GM for their Dark Kitchen & Virtual Brands division. Thierry is also a "Franchise Expert" and founded QSR Consultant® in 2012 to offer his broad experience to franchisors of all sizes.
President at Ghost Kitchen Brands
A senior, well rounded development/franchising executive with over 20 years’ international experience. Marc wants to work with brands that are growing and passionate about the impact they have on people’s lives. As a franchise brand executive, he has comprehensive experience in franchising (identifying, qualifying, closing candidates), developing target market strategies, recognizing business opportunities, operations, relationship building, and the understanding of what it takes to lead a team to drive brand growth.
OrderB4 - Founder & CEO
Randy has been in technology, multi-unit/brand restaurant operation and delivery logistics for nearly 30 years, and founded the company that developed OrderB4 in mid-2019. OrderB4 is a white-labeled SaaS platform that enables ghost kitchens, virtual restaurant brands and multi-brand operators an all-in-one operations solution. OrderB4 enables Direct to Consumer (D2C) lead generation, multi-brand online ordering, marketplace order integration, order management & internal logistics including KDS, delivery routing, financial payment routing, consumer loyalty, feedback, recovery and remarketing.
Managing and Planning Director Hakuhodo International Germany
Uwe looks back on almost 30 years of experience as a brand and marketing strategist for global blue chip brands. Eight years ago he joined Japanese agency network Hakuhodo and heads its German and European strategy teams. He believes that the agency’s philosophy of sei-katsu-sha – of looking at the whole person rather than just her role as consumer – can help discover new business opportunities in every market. In his speech, he demonstrates how to apply the approach to branding in the ghost kitchen and delivery market.
Global Head of Delivery Kitchen and ‘Dark Store‘ Divisions at PKL
Charlie has a broad background of working in real estate and building fast-growing start-up businesses. Since the very start, Charlie has been in the ghost-kitchen space, leading the 'Roobox' concept at Deliveroo, which later became known as 'Deliveroo Editions'. Charlie heads up the Delivery Kitchen and Dark Store division at PKL, helping fast-moving delivery apps and operators open up and scale worldwide.
International Operations Specialist at Kuiri
Francesco is co-founder of Kuiri cloud kitchen and started in January 2021 with the first location, and as of now, they have two cloud kitchens in the city centre of Milan with 5 and 8 kitchens each, with more than 15 active brands. Cassera is part of the business development, international operation and intelligence officer at Kuri.
Chief Sustainability Officer – MAX Burgers
Kaj Török is Chief Sustainability Officer at MAX Burgers since 2016. In 2008 MAX created the world's first climate labelled menu and started capturing emissions through reforestation in the tropics. In 2019 MAX received UN Global Climate Action Award for the world’s first climate positive menu. MAX is also the company in Sweden that is most well-known for taking climate action with the widest offer of tasty green burgers in the industry. Kaj has worked with sustainability since the mid-90s and was awarded Sweden's best sustainability officer in 2020. Kaj is a popular international speaker.
Segment Director Hotels, RATIONAL International AG
Mohit, an expert in commercial kitchen operational excellence, has a rich background in the hospitality industry, spanning food and beverage services, culinary arts, and facility design. With a keen focus on advancing the culinary operations of international hotels through innovative design, education, and technology, he is currently the Segment Director for Hotels at RATIONAL AG. Mo is passionate about developing talent and listening to the upcoming generations. His speciality is design, education and technology, with a focus on hotels.
Senior Vice President, Development, Equipment, and Assets
RSCS Co-op
Currently as the Senior Vice President for Development, Equipment, and Assets at RSCS (Restaurant Supply Chain Solutions), Paul leads transformative initiatives that drive innovation, optimize operations, and create value for Yum! Brands’ 19,000 globally recognized quick-service restaurant chains, including KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell. With a career spanning menu innovation, equipment strategy, global manufacturing operations, and large-scale supply chain transformations, Paul has a proven ability to align strategic objectives with operational execution. Paul brings deep insights into navigating the rapidly changing restaurant industry, from advancing equipment innovation to addressing global operations and supply chain complexities.
Ghost kitchens were already a strong trend before Covid-19 turned the world upside down. A Trend Talk webinar from Rational debates their place in the foodservice offering of the future.
Once you know the rules. You leave the game as the winner. They are shooting up like mushrooms and they are the new stars in the gastronomy sky, known for innovation and flexibility. Ghost Kitchen, Dark Kitchen, Cloud Kitchen.
Food delivery means eating what you want, wherever and whenever you want it. It’s a huge market already, and these days, it’s practically exploding. One fairly cool new resulting development: ghost kitchens.
Abandoned parking lots in the shadows of tall bridges, romantic industrial settings, skylines… is this really where the gastronomic revolution is going to happen? Here, among the shipping containers that blend harmoniously into the desolate landscape? Of course!
The growth of dark or ghost kitchens has accelerated in this challenging year as the delivery-only concept has provided foodservice operators with a different way to trade during the pandemic.
RATIONAL is the world market and technology leader in the field of hot food preparation for professional kitchens. With their knowledge and experience in the ghost kitchen sector, they support you to create additional business and customer experiences with innovative concepts and solutions.
KTCHNrebel is an international online magazine for professional chefs that want to make a difference. It’s all about ideas, innovations, and trends happening in our loud, messy, fabulous kitchen lives. We profile role models, discuss current issues, and look to the future.
