March 11-13, 2025 | Myrtle Beach, SC — Price increases by $150 after December 13. Register Now
BREAKOUT SESSION / WEDNESDAY / AUGUST 11, 2021 / 4:00 PM
Solving Labor Woes
Managing labor is time-consuming and expensive but takes frustration to a new level when you add in the ongoing changes regarding employment rulings and laws.
From minimum wage to health care issues, this session will provide an update on labor laws facing the restaurant industry as well as offer best practices on hiring and managing workers.
PANELISTS
Drew French | Founder & President | Your Pie
Drew French is the Founder and President of Your Pie. While honeymooning on the Italian island of Ischia, Drew was inspired to bring the authentic, brick-oven taste of Italian pizza to the United States. With a passion for gourmet food and a business degree from the University of Georgia, he opened the first Your Pie location in Athens, Ga., in 2008. The brand has since grown to more than 75 locations across the U.S. with more than 50 in development, and Drew continues to infuse creativity, inspiration and innovation through his leadership.
John Montgomery | President & CFO | MAD Greens
A self-proclaimed restaurant nerd, in 30 years John Montgomery has only had two jobs outside of the industry, a ditch digger at a natural gas company and an auditor at Deloitte. Both were equally uninspiring to him. Luckily for him his favorite audit client was Buca Di Beppo, where he ultimately landed as their Assistant Controller. In 2002, John moved to Colorado to become Controller of Noodles & Company, leaving to pursue his MBA. In 2008 he took a finance job with fast casual salad company, MAD Greens, and is now President & CFO. John helped grow the MAD Greens concept to 27 units located in Denver, Austin, and Phoenix.
John Pepper | Co-Founder & Chief Worker Advocate | Boloco | Worthee
John Pepper is Co-founder and Chief Worker Advocate of Boloco, a New England-based restaurant chain and Certified B Corp founded in 1997 focused on serving Modern Mexican food and beverages. He is also a co-founder the B.Good restaurant chain and of Worthee, an early stage software platform focused on workforce empowerment. John passionately advises and invests in consumer and consumer tech companies, and especially seeks opportunities that empower the workforce. Current examples related to food and beverage include tech start-ups Margin Edge, Toast, Incentivio, Bikky, Open City, HigherMe as well as Starbird, Dos Toros, Spindrift, and Athletic Brewing Company.
Dan Pool | Owner | Pools Restaurant Group
Speaker bio coming soon!
Nour Rabai | Founder & CEO | PITA Mediterranean Street Food
With his latest concept Pita Mediterranean Street Food, which he founded in 2012, Nour Rabai has created a fast casual destination for fresh, delicious and affordable Mediterranean cuisine. As founder and CEO, Nour oversees the operations of Pita’s corporate and franchise locations and management team and also is involved in the development and design of new locations. With a goal of growing Pita Mediterranean Street Food and introducing his authentic food and culture into every major city in the U.S., Nour’s major responsibility is in franchising. He is involved in the entire process from meeting with prospective franchisees and discussing locations to working alongside new franchisees to offer advice on staffing, profitability and operations.
David Webber | Operating Partner | Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe
David Webber serves as the Operating Partner for Taziki’s Mediterranean Café in Richmond, Virginia. He is one of only four corporate managing partners for Taziki’s, which collectively has nearly 100 units in 17 states. David manages 90+ employees between his three stores, and led his market to $3 million in sales in 2019. He is a dedicated member of the community including involvement with the Chamber RVA, the Retail Merchants Association, and the Chesterfield Chamber. David most recently served as a board member for the Midlothian Business Alliance, which is dedicated to revitalizing the business community in Midlothian, Virginia. His expertise was developed through extensive daily planning and multi-unit operations management.
MODERATOR
Steve Holmes | Co-Founder | ShiftPixy
Steve Holmes, a seasoned human capital management (HCM) executive and accomplished entrepreneur, is co-founder of ShiftPixy. With nearly 30 years of experience in human resources services, Steve has established a track record for helping small and midmarket businesses (SMBs) through Fortune 500 companies drive efficiency in HCM initiatives and has successfully founded and sold five human resources services businesses, all of which are still operating today.
session sponsor
