Smartsummit: Foodservice Industry Experts On What It Takes To Succeed In These Times

The pandemic has upended the foodservice industry, creating unforeseen challenges -- but also opportunities. Research from the National Restaurant Association estimates that as of last month, at least 100,000 restaurants have either closed permanently or for the long term, and that restaurants are on track to lose $240 billion this year. Now as dining rooms are beginning to reopen and restaurants have found new ways to operate, everyone is wondering now more than ever what lies ahead for foodservice.

Earlier this week, industry experts gathered at SmartBrief’s Food & Beverage SmartSummit, "Foodservice trends worth investing in: Innovations for today and tomorrow" -- sponsored by Altametrics, a Costa Mesa, Calif.-based solutions company that provides predictive back-office software for workforce management, inventory management, and reporting  to restaurants -- to discuss innovations that are here to stay. From increased drive-thrus and ghost kitchens to keeping an eye on new technologies and employee retention, the panel offered insights that centered on the need to be flexible in operations, and to meet not only consumers’ expectations, but also restaurant employees’ needs.

For both Frank Rodriguez, vice president of operations at Broomfield, Colo.-based Noodles & Company, and Joshua Phillips, general manager and partner of Washington, D.C.-based Espita Mezcaleria and Destination Unknown, Inc., the ability to be flexible and “pivot on a dime,” they both said, were key to staying afloat -- and thriving -- during these times.