Wally Doolin is Chairman and Founder of TDn2K (Transforming data into knowledge), a performance measurement company.  Additionally, he serves as a Trustee Emeritus of the National Restaurant Association and National Restaurant Association's Education Foundation where he is a past Chairman.

As VP, National Retail Sales, On-Premise and Military, US, Josh is responsible for managing the On-Premise and Military National Retail Sales teams, with direct emphasis on the casual dining, gaming, concessions, lodging, and Military channels. Josh also plays a significant role in developing and executing the overall On-Premise sales strategy, and ensuring that ABI gets a positive return on our marketing investment.

Josh joined Anheuser-Busch Inbev in June 2012 as Global Director, Trade Marketing (Off-Trade), where he was responsible for driving key in-store marketing initiatives in the off-premise channels and working with the global key accounts team to enhance the category management initiatives.

In his role as Chief Officer of Food, Beverage and Strategic Supply, Stan Frankenthaler leads CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries’ menu reinvention efforts, as well as oversees food and beverage initiatives for all of the brand’s concepts, including Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurants, Rock Bottom Restaurants & Breweries, Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom and ChopHouse. A nationally recognized chef, entrepreneur and author with extensive experience in restaurant operations for major U.S. brands, Frankenthaler joined the CraftWorks leadership team in 2014.

Frankenthaler comes to CraftWorks from Dunkin’ Brands, where he served as Vice President of Global Innovation and Executive Corporate Chef. Prior to joining Dunkin’ Brands, Frankenthaler was owner and chef of several Boston and Cambridge concepts. Frankenthaler is a three-time James Beard nominee and author of “The Occidental Tourist.”

Christin is responsible for managing all of the Datassential MenuTrends clients as well as managing the team of MenuTrends client service analysts. With over 16 years of market research in the food industry, Christin has worked with a number of different food manufacturers supporting both the retail and foodservice teams. Prior to Datassential, Christin has worked for a number of research firms building her expertise in both syndicated and custom research. One of her key areas of expertise is providing actionable insights to clients.

• Datassential MenuTrends  - an accurate tracking database of more than 7,000 chain and independent menus
• Insider™ -- photo-enabled tracking of national account menu activity, updated monthly
• Optimize™ -- a dynamic data-driven tool for maximizing consumer menu appeal
• iDEA™ -- the industry’s first customizable survey cross-tabbing  solution
  

Jim joined Eat’n Park in 1973 and has held the following positions: Executive Vice President and Treasurer; President; and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. As the company’s business diversified, Eat’n Park Hospitality Group was created as the parent organization.

Eat’n Park Hospitality Group is a provider of distinct culinary experiences to nearly 175 locations throughout the mid-Atlantic region. Each of the seven brands focus on family, from the leadership of the Broadhurst family to the team member family to the families of the guests and clients served. Eat’n Park Hospitality Group embraces a culture of giving back to the community.

Kim Walker, a partner at the international law firm of Faegre Baker Daniels, is outside general counsel to the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association. He leads the firm’s international food and agriculture industry team and focuses his practice in the food, agribusiness litigation and antitrust areas. In his leadership role for the firm and its clients, Kim works out of the Des Moines, Minneapolis and Silicon Valley offices. He represents and manages the firm's relationships for clients such as Cargill, Hormel Foods Corporation, Ardent Mills, American Meat Institute, and Wells Enterprises (Blue Bunny), among others. Kim has been nationally ranked for several years for exemplary client service and noted by his clients as an effective business and industry partner. He is a frequent speaker at industry and legal conferences.

Carl T. Howard was recruited by Sun Capital Partners to be the President and CEO of Fazoli’s Restaurants, Inc. in June 2008. Carl has diligently worked to rebrand and revitalize the Fazoli’s “Fast Fresh Italian” concept. Since joining Fazoli’s every sales and EBITDA record has been posted and the brand is once again growing new units.

Jim Doak is a certified chef and graduate of University of Houston with a BS in Hotel –Restaurant management. He is the Vice President of Menu & Beverage Innovation Team at Ignite, a fast pace high growth restaurant company dedicated to delighting its guest with high quality food, exceptional service and unique experiences. He is committed to using consumer insights to develop new menu items and design thinking to discern the paths of innovation for each of Ignite’s brands which include Joe’s Crab Shack, Brick House Tavern + Tap, and Romano’s Macaroni Grill. He brings 35 years industry experience with the last 21 years in chain research and development. He has also led teams at Culver’s, Applebee’s, Metromedia Restaurant group and Bob Evans farms. Learn more.

Phil Kafarakis is the Chief Innovation & Member Advancement Officer for the National Restaurant Association. His responsibilities include Membership, Strategic Marketing, Product & Services Business Development, Innovation, Strategic Partnerships and International. Phil has over 30 years of brand management, business development and strategic planning experience in the food and beverage industry. Prior to joining the National Restaurant Association, Phil held various executive leadership positions at McCormick & Co., Cargill, Aqua-Novus Corp., Jones Dairy Farm, Oscar Mayer Foods Corp., where he started his career and later at Kraft USA. Learn more

Tom Ryan is not your typical restaurateur. He is not a chef, didn't study restaurant management. In fact, he never expected to find himself in the restaurant arena. 

Tom is an amalgam of many things. He is a food scientist, earning Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate degrees in Flavor and Fragrance Chemistry from Michigan State University. During his Doctoral studies, he became intrigued with Marketing and Consumer Research, which set him on the career path of a lifetime. 

Taking Development positions at Proctor & Gamble and Pillsbury, Tom recognized the power of combining strong technical knowledge with great consumer insights. He spent hours chasing and evaluating restaurant trends, searching for the next "big idea" to bring to grocery shelves. Along the way, he fell in love with restaurants, menu innovations, and the plethora of creativity he saw in the emerging restaurant landscape. It didn't take him long to get into the game. 

Tom joined Pizza Hut in the late 1980's and quickly brought his first round of iconic products to the marketplace. 

Tom joined McDonalds in the late 90's, and held Menu Development, CMO, and Worldwide Chief Concept Officer titles. Over his seven years at McDonalds, Tom brought McFlurries, The Dollar Menu, and McGriddles to the marketplace, here and around the world. 

In 2003, Tom partnered with Rick Schaden in Denver Colorado to focus on new concepts. He joined the Quiznos team as Chief Branding Officer. 

In 2006, Tom and Rick set out to build new, disruptive concepts focused on the next generation of consumers. In 2007, Smashburger was born and has become an industry icon for quality, growth, and business acumen. Smashburger has been named twice by Forbes as "Americas Most Promising Company," has won countless local awards for best burgers, and earned Tom a spot on Gourmet Magazine’s "25 Top Food Entrepreneurs of the Last 25 Years" list. 

In 2012, Tom and Rick opened Tom's Urban in downtown Denver, a full service, urban concept designed to provide great multi-ethnic food, craft beers and cocktails, specifically focused on how modern consumers eat, drink, and socialize. This namesake concept opened its second site at LA Live, in the heart of resurgent LA and its third location inside the New York New York Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas strip in December of 2014.