What operators say about Chain Leader LIVE 2005

Rick Federico
Chairman & CEO
P.F. Chang’s China Bistro

How do you like Chain Leader LIVE so far and what do you like about it?

I loved being at Chain Leader LIVE.  This has been one of the better conferences I go to for a couple of reasons.  One is it’s a little smaller, a little more intimate.  I have had the opportunity to meet both long time standing friends from the industry, but a whole new wide variety of restaurateurs from across the country.  So, I really appreciate the diversity of the audience.

What do you like about the fact that majority of the people here are mostly operators?

One of the things that really separates Chain Leader LIVE from other conferences is the fact that most of the other attendees are operators.  It allows you a better opportunity to network, a better opportunity to share ideas.  It’s nice to have some vendor relations and be able to support the vendors, but from an operators perspective I think it allows for more candid dialog and more open feedback.

What do you think of the food so far?

Food has been great.  Food’s been spectacular.  The other night we had, I believe Abuelo’s; one of the restaurants did their grilled shrimp.  We had an opportunity to taste food from 8 local restaurants.  The hotel and the hospitality have been outstanding.

Would you recommend Chain Leader LIVE to other operators or to your colleagues back at your office?

I would definitely recommend Chain Leader LIVE both to my colleagues as well as my friends in the industry.  It’s been a spectacular event and I think we would benefit from more internal participation as well as an opportunity to sit with some old friends.

Bob Davis
Corporate Executive Chef
Max & Erma’s

What do you think of Chain Leader LIVE so far?

Chain Leader LIVE has been an unexpected pleasure for me.  I was willing to give two days of my life and I didn’t know what I was going to get out of it.  I met a ton of great people, industry leaders and we talked about subjects that I needed to talk about for my business.

Majority of the people here are operators, what do you think differentiates Chain Leader LIVE from other conferences you’ve attended?

When you go to a conference you want to be with your friends and your friends are your competitors, so while we’re here together we are buddies but when we go home we are fierce competitors.  Chain Leader LIVE had a great offering of operators to walk with, talk about the same situations.  Two of the breakout sessions really helped me and I’ll be able to go back and present from them.

As a chef what’s your impression of the food being served at Chain Leader LIVE?

The food has been awesome.  The opportunities to taste things that are on trend and our vendor partners that supported us and were sponsors, they didn’t just bring a product they brought a total package, a completed concept.  That’s what I need in my job.  That’s the inspiration I need to go back to work with.

Would you recommend Chain Leader LIVE to other operators or to you colleagues back home?

I would like to recommend Chain Leader LIVE to some people but not too many because this could be one of those conferences that could grow too fast.  I say that as a compliment but I think there are more people in our organization that need to be here next year.

James Greco
CEO
Bruegger’s

How do you like Chain Leader LIVE so far?

It’s been great.  A great opportunity to meet a lot of people, network and there have been some really informative panel sessions.  It’s been very valuable coming here.

What do you think of the fact that the majority of the attendees are operators as opposed to other people from the restaurant industry?

It’s very helpful.  A great opportunity to exchange information.  To learn things that others are doing that have been successful.  That’s a tremendous feature of this conference.

How do you like the food so far as compared to other conferences?

The food has been great.  Really good.  The cocktail reception the first night, the
hors d’oeuvres were great.  Lunch has been terrific.

Would you recommend the conference to other operators or to your colleagues to attend next year?

Absolutely, I think it is very valuable and worthwhile.  So many things that one can attend in a year.  But one needs to be selective.  I think this is one of the ones that someone should definitely consider coming to.

Robert Ott
COO & President
Claim Jumper

How do you like Chain Leader LIVE so far and what do you like the best?

I’ve really enjoyed Chain Leader LIVE because of the intimacy involved.  There’s a chance to meet with peers and people that I respect and have listened to in the industry for a long time.  You are sitting right across from them at a table and it’s an opportunity to get to know the personality, make connections.  I picked up several cards here where I know I’ll have a chance to talk to people about problems that we face at Claim Jumpers in the next few months.

The majority of the people are operators, what do you think about that aspect of the conference?

I think we have a lot in common being operators.  It’s an opportunity for us to talk about like problems that we are having and share examples of things that have worked and have failed for us.  An event where the vast majority is operators is great.

What do you think about the food as compared to other conferences?

All the food at the conference has been excellent.

Would you recommend Chain Leader LIVE to other operators or to your colleagues?

I would absolutely recommend it to everybody.  The intimate setting like I said before has been very good.  It’s a chance to meet people that share the same kind of circumstances and the same decision making processes that we do every day.

Nick Vojnovic
President
Beef ‘O’Brady’s

How do you like Chain Leader Live so far and what do you like best?

This is my first time and I really have been pleasantly surprised with the quality of the conference.  I’ve really enjoyed meeting some great operators who are kind of going through some of the same issues and struggles.  It’s also fun for me to see some old friends I made from other conferences and people I met in the industry to reconnect with them as well.  So, it’s really a great camaraderie with the folks that are here.  I’ve really enjoyed the speaking presentations; they have all been very helpful and good takeaways.  I’m taking notes of things I want to take back to our company when I’m done with the conference.

The majority of the people here are operators.  How do you like that aspect of this conference?

Well, there’s no doubt about the fact that most of the folks here are operators.  A key component is that the people you are meeting, as you go to different sessions and sit at different tables, all have something to offer.  All have different perspectives and it’s interesting to hear about the different concepts that are out there.  Also, there are some concepts out there that I am not aware of and kind of find out what they are doing and where they are going as well.

What do you think of the food so far, as compared to other conferences you’ve attended?

Well, definitely the food so far has been great.  The Chain Leader folks have definitely made a concerted effort to really challenge us and have an opportunity to sample other products.  The first night there was a group of different buffets with different ethnic offerings.  Today at lunch there was a Tapas Bar.  So, they are trying to present some different unique items.  I think it’s been interesting as well, just to see how they have been presented.  We are all here to get ideas and that’s kind of what we are looking for and trying to experiment different things.  So, I definitely enjoyed the food.

Would you recommend this conference to other operators or to your colleagues?

There’s no doubt that I definitely would recommend the conference to our folks in our company to encourage them to come next year and enjoy it.  We are definitely going to get some folks out.  What I do enjoy about these conferences is meeting old friends and there are some friends of mine who are not here and I’m going to invite them to join us next year.

Robert Lewis
Executive Director of Training and Development
Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream Inc.

How do you like Chain Leader LIVE so far?

What I like best about Chain Leader LIVE is the intimate setting and the intimate group size.  It’s not a giant, large convention where you just kind of get lost in the shuffle.  There’s a lot of great people here and a lot of intimacy here getting to meet people one-on-one.

Majority of the attendees here are operators.  How do you like that aspect of the conference?

I like being with operators because they live it every day just like I do.  So, we relate to the same challenges and so when it comes to networking, everyone’s speaking the same language and it’s just a great time spent.

As a chef can you give me a good impression of what you think of the food here?

The food was just absolutely fabulous.  So many conventions that you go to the food is just kind of bland and just kind of ho hum.  This was at least exciting and innovative.  A lot of great flavors and every course was a better surprise than the previous.  So, it was great, a lot of fun.

Would you recommend this conference to other operators or to your colleagues back home?

I would recommend Chain Leader LIVE because it’s a great event and such a wonderful opportunity to meet good people.  Eat great food, network with the stars of the industry.

Nancy Roskin
Founder & CEO
3 Tomatoes & A Mozzarella

How do you like Chain Leader LIVE so far, and what do you like about it?

Chain Leader LIVE has been so informative.  We had originally signed with someone who is helping us do the franchising, but now we are on our own, so this has been just invaluable.

The majority of the people here are operators, is that a good thing in your perspective?

I think that’s the best thing about it, because we’re all in the same boat.  Everybody has faced the same problems, has had the ups and downs of being the operator, we’re more of a brotherhood; it’s a nice intimate group.

What do you think about the food so far?

It’s been phenomenal.  I really have a lot of respect for the woman who put this all together.  I understand that she came in and she took over the kitchen and she has done a phenomenal job.

Would you recommend Chain Leader LIVE?

Absolutely, this has just been a great experience.  I just hope that we’ll be back next year.