Workshopping what your guest experience is missing

For hundreds of years the restaurant guest experience had been the same, but everything has changed in the last five years and driving restaurants to level up the way they communicate with guests.

It's a topic Big Chicken's Sam Stanovich, Dog Haus' CJ Ramirez and Ovation CEO Zack Oates will explore during the annual Restaurant Franchising and Innovation Summit being held March 20-22 in Coral Gables, Florida, in a session called, "Workshop: What Is Your Guest Experience Missing?"

"Ramirez and Stanovich, who faced off last year during a debate at the summit, are up against each other again this year, but this time it's not just talk; it's real," Oates told FastCasual.

"Before the conference, they will have both attended the other's restaurant as a secret shopper, and we'll get to hear their honest thoughts about their respective guest experiences. No pulling punches. The real examples of good and bad from top restaurants like Dog Haus and Big Chicken will really facilitate an interactive discussion with the audience as we learn about the three cons (connection, convenience, consistency) of guest experience," Oates said describing the event panel.

Attendees will leave the session with a detailed self-evaluation of their own customer experiences and dozens of strategies and tactics to improve, Oates said.

Register here for the Summit. Early bird pricing ends Feb. 10.