Jeff is Chairman & CEO of Brooklyn Dumpling Shop, a leading rapidly expanding restaurant and consumer products brand. Under his leadership, the company is scaling across brick-and-mortar locations, major grocery retailers, e-commerce, marquee properties and foodservice. With a unique fusion of hospitality and technology, Brooklyn Dumpling Shop is redefining Asian-inspired fast casual dining, delivering high-quality dumplings, bowls, boba, and sides to an ever-growing audience. Before leading Brooklyn Dumpling Shop, Jeff held global leadership roles at Tim Hortons and Burger King, private equity investing, PepsiCo Strategy & Marketing, and Consumer-industry consulting at McKinsey. A defining chapter of his career was scaling Tim Hortons Asia from 70 to 700 locations. Jeff holds an MBA from The Wharton School and a BA from Colgate University.

Toni Ronayne joined Perkins American Food Co. in 2024 as the Brand President. Throughout her career, she has held several progressive leadership positions. Most recently, she served as the Managing Director for Little Caesars Pizza – Canada. She has led both operations and franchise development, domestic and international, for brands, including Freshii and Starbucks. Her wealth of experience in fast casual, QSR, and beverage have positioned the Perkins brand for future growth.

David Schmidt is the President of Keke’s Breakfast Cafe. He joined Denny’s Corporation in September 2022 and is a 30-year veteran who brings to Keke’s a proven track record of operations, marketing, finance, training, and HR leadership. Prior to Keke’s, David worked as CFO of Red Lobster. He also worked for Bloomin’ Brands where he held various leadership roles throughout his tenure, including Group Vice President and CFO of Bloomin’ Brand’s Casual Dining. He also served as President of Bonefish Grill, during which time he was responsible for developing and implementing the long-term growth strategy of a 200-unit polished casual concept. David holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN.

Denise Tran, a former attorney, is the founder and CEO of Bun Mee Vietnamese Sandwich Eatery, a gourmet fast casual restaurant concept with five locations in San Francisco—Pacific Heights, Financial District, SFO Terminals 1 & 3, and the Marina—and a plan to franchise nationwide. Bun Mee has been nationally recognized as a pioneer in the Asian sandwich niche making delicious banh mi sandwiches with wide crossover appeal. Launched in 2011, Bun Mee blends the street food concepts of Vietnam with Denise’s flavorful modern interpretations using fresh, local ingredients. Within months of opening Bun Mee was critically reviewed with many of their menu items landing on San Francisco’s “best” lists. In 2013, Bun Mee was named on Fast Casual Magazine’s Top 100 Movers & Shakers in the country at #28 between Panera Bread and Five Guys Burgers. Denise has also been recognized by Quick Service Magazine as one of the country’s top Wonder Women founders who are changing the game in the fast casual industry.

Abhinav Kapur is the co-founder and CEO of Bikky, a Customer Data Platform (CDP) built exclusively for multi-unit restaurants. Bikky is a customer data platform exclusively for multi-unit restaurant brands With Bikky, brands like Dave's Hot Chicken, Bojangles, and Robeks have a clear understanding of how their marketing, menu, and operations impact guest traffic and frequency. By connecting with your entire tech stack—from POS to loyalty—Bikky delivers insight on up to 90% of your guest base, empowering you to make informed, fast decisions that drive incremental sales.