Karen Kelley, chief restaurant operations officer of Panera, will deliver a keynote on how important innovation is for Panera as well as how other restaurant brands can implement similar strategies at Networld Media Group’s annual Fast Casual Executive Summit in Austin.
Panera Bread knows a thing or two about innovation. After all, it was the first major fast casual chain to jump into the digital game in 2012, when it began rolling out Panera 2.0, a suite of technology updates aimed at improving the customer experience. That decision has been a game changer for Panera, and during a keynote at the annual Fast Casual Executive Summit next week in Austin, Karen Kelley, SVP and chief restaurant operations officer, will shed some light on how important innovation was for Panera as well as how other restaurant brands can implement similar strategies.
During her presentation “Why Companies That Innovate on People and Talent Will Win,” Kelley will discuss how Panera’s investments in technology, talent and healthy ingredients have made it a brand that attracts both customers and high-quality employees to carry the brand into the future.
Kelley, who joined Panera in December 2018, has more than 30 years of management and operational experience, having served as president and COO of Tatte Bakery & Cafe, sweetgreen and Drybar, where she was responsible for driving strategic growth, building the infrastructure and teams and overseeing key internal leaders.
Register here to attend the summit, Oct. 13-15.
About Networld Media Group
Founded in 2000, Networld Media Group is a leading business-to-business (B2B) global media communications company specializing in digital media, associations and events in the mobile, self-service, digital signage, retail, food service and financial services industries. Online properties include ATMmarketplace.com, BlockchainTechNews.com, DigitalSignageToday.com, FastCasual.com, FoodTruckOperator.com, KioskMarketplace.com, MobilePaymentsToday.com, PizzaMarketplace.com, QSRweb.com, RetailCustomerExperience.com and BiblicalLeadership.com. Networld event properties include the Fast Casual Executive Summit, Interactive Customer Experience Summit, Bank Customer Experience Summit and the Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit. Networld also operates the ICX Association. BOOM! Creative, provides clients with digital creative, custom media and brand collateral. Its newest offering, World of Money, is a daily e-newsletter that provides a fun and informative look at the trends, technologies, and ideas shaping the future of money and payments.
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