Speakers

David Bloom's early career in the restaurant and hotel industries included working with and for some of the most iconic brands and leaders in their respective industries where he learned how to strategically accelerate sustainable brand expansion. Having grown up in the restaurant industry in and around NYC, David’s entrepreneurial career began as a large multi-unit franchisee and serving as the SVP of Brand Expansion for Quiznos, growing it from a small regional brand of 18 restaurants to opening over 5,000 locations in 28 countries. Subsequent senior roles included the rapid growth of numerous enterprises including; Clockwork Home Services, Bridge International Academies based in Nairobi, Kenya, Famous Brands International and as President of Office Evolution. Today, David is responsible for all aspects of franchise development and operations for Capriotti’s and scaling a recently acquired fast casual concept Wing Zone to new heights.

Cherryh Cansler is VP of Connect Food, publisher of FastCasual, and co-host of Fast Casual Nation. She has been covering the restaurant industry since 2012. Her byline has appeared in Forbes, The Kansas City Star, and American Fitness magazine, among many others.

Amy Hom brings over 25 years of impactful leadership in the restaurant industry and technology innovation space, Amy is currently the COO at Barcelona Wine Bar. Previously, Amy served as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief People Officer for Bluestone Lane, where she played a pivotal role in shaping operational strategies and fostering a culture of excellence. Before her tenure at Bluestone Lane, she held the position of Executive Vice President of North American Retail and Kitchens at REEF Technology, where she led transformative initiatives to convert static neighborhood spaces into dynamic community hubs, including building a food safety team, training department, and an operational excellence strategy. With a keen eye for operational efficiency and a passion for nurturing talent, Amy has contributed in key leadership positions at prominent restaurant brands. She served as the Vice President of Operations at sweetgreen, providing operational support to over 100 locations.

Karla Patino is vice president of U.S. marketing and sales for Pollo Campero, where she leads strategies to deepen the brand’s connection with U.S. Hispanic consumers and drive continued growth. With nearly two decades of experience across the U.S. and Latin America, Patino has held marketing leadership roles with Taco Bell, KFC, Burger King, Chipotle and Subway. Before joining Pollo Campero, she served as chief marketing officer for Taco Bell Latin America, leading the brand’s first international artist partnership with Latin music star Myke Towers across 10 countries. She also helped launch Taco Bell in Ecuador and build its marketing team in Brazil.

Peter grew up working in the restaurant industry, waiting tables at 12 years old in Skyline Chilis his family operated. He has done everything from washing dishes to being a line cook, to bartending, to being a store manager. He has spent the last 20 years developing brands and marketing materials across a wide variety of platforms, including live events, TV, radio, print, web, mobile apps, and social media. In 2007, Ray recruited him to help develop the Hot Head Burritos brand, where he now serves as the Vice President of Marketing and IT. He also oversees the operation of 10 Hot Head Burritos locations in the Toledo, Youngstown, Akron, and Cleveland markets. Peter is married with 5 kids, 3 grandchildren, 3 cats, and 2 dogs. He enjoys fine bourbon, wine, camping, and running sound for a local country band in his free time.

After growing her career in restaurant marketing working with larger brands, Liz Worley has been excited to contribute to the growth of Teriyaki Madness over the past 9 years, first as a brand marketing director and then leading all aspects of digital marketing. At the core of this role, Liz supports Teriyaki Madness’ focus on loyalty program growth as a way to increase revenue and guest frequency and also helps manage other digital channels like third-party delivery, Flybuy curbside pickup, kiosk ordering, as well as other technologies to continually reach guests and increase growth.