PMQ’S BRIGHT FUTURE OF PIZZA

PANEL DISCUSSION: 1pm WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25TH

ANDREW SIMMONS | PRESIDENT, RESTAURANT MARKETING AND DELIVERY ASSOCIATION

Andrew Simmons is a pizza restaurant owner, founder of a San Diego restaurant delivery service (RDS), and president of the Restaurant Marketing and Delivery Association (RMDA). Simmons has seen firsthand how interactions and collaborations between pizzerias, customers, staff and third-party services can expedite pizza delivery and increase profits. During the last year the RMDA has generated $500 million in restaurant delivery sales through its national network of local mom-and-pop restaurant delivery services, and growth continues exponentially.

KELLY GROGAN | VP OF MARKETING, VIRTUAL DINING CONCEPTS

Kelly Grogan is another eyewitness to the ever-widening opportunities for restaurateurs made possible by recent technology. Virtual Dining Concepts knows how 20 million social media followers can be turned into a powerful force for the benefit of restaurants. Through virtual brands, pizza restaurant owners can become partners behind the scenes and earn real incremental income. Virtual brand partners currently include Mariah Carey, Barstool Sports, Robert Irvine and Mr. Beast. Grogan will tell us more about ghost kitchens, virtual brands and other new moneymaking opportunities for pizza restaurateurs.

CHAD HORN | CO-FOUNDER, DEVOUR.IO

Chad Horn has spent his career working with restaurants and restaurant technology. Last year he launched Devour.io, the first web3 project built to help restaurant owners delight customers, retain staff and grow their brands. It is now perhaps the foremost restaurant technology company for web3, a new iteration of the internet that’s “all about ownership of information,” Horn says. Currently, Facebook and Twitter own the content that its users create. With web3, real people own their content, their online identity and everything they create. Horn will explain how web3, NFTs and blockchain technology present new opportunities for restaurant operators.