Special State of the Industry Review and Roundtable

The Canadian Restaurant Market continues to face challenges as we head into 2012. Today’s restaurateurs are dealing with economic uncertainty, innovation from grocery and increased choice in restaurant concepts; all fighting for a share of consumer spending. What are the opportunities to succeed? What restaurant concepts are winning? What are consumers looking for to get them out of home and into restaurants?

Robert Carter, Executive Director of Foodservice, NPD Group

Robert Carter shared insights from market research firm NPD’s consumer panel of over 100,000 Canadians. Gave an update on the state of the Canadian restaurant industry, learn about consumer behaviour, preferences and future intentions regarding eating out of home, and key trends that are shaping today’s restaurant industry.

Following the industry review, Mr. Carter moderated a panel discussion of senior executives from a variety of food industry categories including restaurateurs, chefs and suppliers. This "Who's Who" panel will covered many topics related to trends, success stories, challenges, new and proven ideas, marketing, new technologies and much more. The goal of this roundtable is to provide all attending delegates with a wide range of information that can be applied directly to their specific operation. Having proper information and live examples of what works is critical in this competitive world and for your overall success.

Moderator: Robert Carter, Executive Director of Foodservice, NPD Group

Panelists: Chef Michael Allemeier CCC, Instructor, Culinary Programs, School of Hospitality and Tourism, SAIT Polytechnic; Cam Dobranski, Executive Chef/Owner, Muse Restaurant & Lounge, AKA Winebar and Winebar Kensington, Glenn Robertson, Director of Marketing and Procurement, GFS Calgary; Mark von Schellwitz, Vice President, Western Canada, Canadian Restaurant & Foodservices Association; Chris Thomas, Labour Strategies Manager, The TDL Group Corporation (Tim Hortons)

Early arrivals at Expo Breakfast