Off-premise Blitz: Dominating Delivery, Takeout, Catering & Drive-Thru


The dining room isn't where most of your growth is happening anymore, so this session pulls back the curtain on how to aggressively expand your off-premise footprint and optimize every takeout, delivery, catering, and drive-thru dollar. We're moving beyond basic online ordering to dissect the strategic integration of virtual brands, efficient ghost kitchen models, and smart hub-and-spoke delivery systems.

We'll place special emphasis on high-impact marketing tips for catering, showing you how to target and convert high-value B2B customers, structure loyalty programs that drive repeat corporate business, and create digital funnels that efficiently capture and execute large-volume orders.

Attendees will learn to:

  • Identify and evaluate opportunities for expanding into virtual brands or optimized ghost kitchen models.
  • Implement marketing strategies, especially for catering, to attract high-value, repeat corporate and group clients.
  • Maintain brand quality and operational efficiency across all off-premise channels, from packaging to service speed.
  • Navigate the complexities of third-party delivery partnerships and in-house fulfillment to maximize profitability.
Panelists
Brian Bailey
Founder & CEO
Old Carolina Barbecue Co.
Brian Bailey is the Founder and CEO of Old Carolina Barbecue Company, an award-winning fast-casual BBQ chain with eight locations across Ohio and Pennsylvania, including both corporate-owned and franchise-operated restaurants. Since launching the concept in 2003, Brian has grown Old Carolina into one of the most respected barbecue brands in the country, earning more than 150 competition awards along the way. Under Brian’s leadership, the brand has become a leader in off-premises dining, with catering accounting for nearly 40% of total revenue. Old Carolina offers robust catering solutions including pickup, delivery and full-service formats, serving everything from office lunches to nearly 200 staffed weddings each year. Brian is passionate about helping other restaurant operators build scalable, high-performing catering programs. He frequently shares proven strategies for operational efficiency, off-premises growth and maximizing catering revenue in fast-casual concepts.
Craig Dunaway
Chief Operating Officer
Penn Station East Coast Subs
Craig Dunaway was President of Penn Station East Coast Subs since August 1999 and a member of the Board of Directors since September 2001 and became Chief Operating Officer in 2022. In addition to being President of Penn Station, he had previously owned interests in Coastal Cheesesteaks, LLC and Louisville Cheesesteaks, LLC, both of which are Penn Station franchises, and served as Secretary/Treasurer of both. From January 1993 until August 1999, Mr. Dunaway was a partner at the regional accounting firm of McCauley, Nicolas & Company, LLC in Louisville, Kentucky. He served in various staff and managerial accounting positions at the firm from December 1982 through December 1992. Mr. Dunaway formerly had ownership interests in a Papa John’s® franchise which owned eleven stores, and he served as the Secretary/Treasurer of that Papa John’s® franchise. Mr. Dunaway received a B.S. in accounting from Indiana University in May 1983.
Robin Robison
Chief Operating Officer
Modern Restaurant Concepts
Robin Robison brings more than 16 years of restaurant experience to her role as vice president of operations at Modern Market Eatery based in Denver, Colo. With past leadership roles at Red Robin, Bob Evans and Chili's, Robin's extensive experience has uniquely prepared her for creating and executing winning operations strategies across Modern Market Eatery's 30+ units. During her time with Brinker, Robin served as the project leader for the Leadership Principles for Women Task Force, which she formed to help create “best in class” women’s leadership and mentorship programs. This collaborative effort earned Robin the Women’s Foodservice Forum Leadership Award, which is given each year to a woman executive in the foodservice industry who shows exceptional leadership qualities within her company and the industry at large, and whose professional growth and achievements are recognized through career advancement. Robin believes in doing things the hard way such as building people, not restaurants and serving vibrant dishes passionately crafted from scratch.
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