Skip navigation
MUFSO
MUFSO 2014 assembles foodservice leaders in Dallas

MUFSO 2014 assembles foodservice leaders in Dallas

This is part of Nation Restaurant News' special coverage of the 2014 MUFSO conference, taking place Oct. 5-Oct. 7 in Dallas. Follow coverage of the event on NRN.com and tweet with us using #MUFSO.

Driving traffic in an uneven economic recovery is likely to be the hot topic at the 55th annual MUFSO, which will begin Sunday. It is the most comprehensive gathering of restaurant decision-makers from across the U.S.

Close to 1,000 foodservice executives are expected to attend the three-day event, which is being held at the Hyatt Regency in Dallas Oct. 5-7, and includes restaurant operators, suppliers and other industry professionals.

MUFSO is produced by Nation’s Restaurant News, along with sister publications Restaurant Hospitality and Food Management, which are each part of Penton Restaurant Group.

“MUFSO is seeing strong attendee and sponsor growth in 2014, just as the industry is seeing improved performance,” said Chris Keating, vice president and market leader for the Penton Restaurant Group. “But there continue to be numerous challenges as well, from increasing labor and commodity costs to finding the best ways to build guest traffic.

“That’s why hundreds of operators gather at MUFSO – to learn how to continue to grow their businesses with top-to-top discussions and dozens of educational sessions,” Keating said. 

Keynote speakers this year include Trendhunter.com founder and chief executive Jeremy Gutsche, along with FUBU founder and “Shark Tank” personality Daymond John.

On Monday, the 2014 Operator of the Year will be revealed from among five Golden Chain honorees named earlier this year, including Sandra Cochran, president and chief executive of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store; Greg Creed, chief executive of Taco Bell; Joseph DePinto, president and chief executive of 7-Eleven; Aylwin Lewis, president and chief executive of Potbelly Sandwich Works; and W. Kent Taylor, founder and chief executive of Texas Roadhouse.

The Operator of the Year is chosen by industry peers, who cast their votes between June and August.

Also at Monday night’s gala, J. Patrick Doyle, president and chief executive of Domino’s Pizza will accept this year’s Norman Award from Nation’s Restaurant News, an honor created to recognize an industry executive whose leadership philosophy and actions have influenced peers and inspired future leaders. The award seeks to continue the legacy of the late Norman Brinker.

Sam Fox, founder and chief executive of Fox Restaurant Concepts, will be celebrated as this year’s winner of the Richard Melman Innovator of the Year Award, a distinction designated by the Restaurant Hospitality editorial board in honor of industry veteran Richard Melman, founder and chair of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises in Chicago.

At MUFSO, this year’s Hot Concepts winners, a showcase of emerging growth concepts, will also show off their stuff at a reception Sunday. The lineup includes LYFE Kitchen, PDQ, Protein Bar, Slater’s 50/50 and Snap Kitchen.

Food Management will showcase onsite operators with the Best Concept Award from among 10 winners highlighted in August.

MUFSO will also include more than 30 educational sessions spread across discipline-focused tracks, such as Operations, Culinary, Marketing, Entrepreneur and Ideas. The event also includes plenty of opportunity for networking and catching up with leading foodservice suppliers.

Attendees can stay connected with a free mobile app that also integrates with Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

For more information about the conference or to register, go to www.MUFSO.com.

Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected]
Follow her on Twitter @livetodineout

TAGS: News
Hide comments

Comments

  • Allowed HTML tags: <em> <strong> <blockquote> <br> <p>

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
Publish