31/05/2013 | 05:18 PM

Canadian Restaurant Investment Summit

TORONTO—With nearly 200 foodservice executives gathered at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Toronto, the Canadian Restaurant Investment Summit offered a full plate. The summit kicked-off with a networking event in collaboration with the Canadian Hotel Investment Conference on May 29 and led into a full day of discussions, seminars and, of course, food.

Ed Khediguian of GE Capital Canada – the summit’s host – opened the day on May 30 saying GE felt that foodservice is a “vibrant enough industry, important enough industry and diverse enough industry for an investment-focused platform.” With the summit providing that space for discussion, here is ORN’s Canadian Restaurant Investment Summit run-down.

“It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do; technology is interwoven into your daily life,” Dan McPhee, lead food and beverage business at Google, told the crowd in his keynote presentation. McPhee illustrated the importance of embracing technology and social media and strategically using the tools they provide. Ever wonder what time of year your restaurant gets the most search queries, or with which words it is most often correlated? Google it.

Walking the group through Google Trends, McPhee showed how restaurateurs can use these tools to improve both their online profile and revenue.

“More than ever, it’s become a battle for market share,” said NPD’s Robert Carter—this would prove to be the theme of his “Facts and Figures” presentation of the Canadian Chain Restaurant Industry Review. The review, funded by GE, was researched and analyzed in a collaborative effort between NPD Group and FsStrategy.

Among the statistics presented were some stern warnings for industry members that change and the ability to adapt are necessary.

“Our go-to market strategies must change,” said Carter. He confirmed a rise in the fast-casual sector which will strongly affect other sectors and discussed the changing demographic shift of consumers—see the June issue of ORN’s column by NPD’s Ian Wilson for more on catering to millenials and boomers.

FsStrategy contributed a comment on competition from our neighbours, “The U.S. competitors will come up here; the question is ‘will their formulas work?’ But, they will come with deep pockets.”

“I find that expectations fall when communication isn’t clear,” Adrian Mauro of Chamberlain Architect Services Ltd., offered in a seminar discussing design and construction. Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria’s founder Justin Lussier and Robert Downey of BLT Construction joined Mauro to talk about the build out.

Communication was a popular subject at the seminars, showing that seamless execution relies heavily on transparency and understanding, regardless of the size of business. Jill Aebker of Tim Hortons discussed the sometimes-tenuous relationship between franchisees and franchisors with Perry Maisonneuve of Northern Lights Franchise Consultants Corp.

Other seminars included community sponsorship within the restaurant industry and how it affects ROI, and the move from a local restaurant to a broader chain—with a panel including Smoke’s Poutinerie founder Ryan Smolkin.

Carter took the stage again to moderate a panel discussion on western Canadian chains moving East, with guests: David Aisenstat of the Keg, Derek Doke of Joe’s Original, Tom Gaglardi of Moxie’s, Paul Hollands of A&W and Mark Pacinda of Boston Pizza. Following colourful commentary on B.C.’s primary export and the rise in hungry diners from Aisenstat, the group talked about crossing provincial borders –  lessons learned the hard way, finding success and new frontiers.

The event closed with a conversation with Annie Young-Scrivner, president of Starbucks Canada, hosted by the Business News Network’s Andrew Bell. From expansion to product development and community involvement, Young-Scrivner divulged some past successes of the coffee giant, as well as some new ventures. The caffeine-focused brand has been experimenting with liquor-sales and evening offerings catered towards women, said Young-Scrivner.

Starbucks Canada also has a special plan in store for its local consumer-base, all-Canadian coffee. Young-Scrivner would not give away too many details on the beverage that will be released in June, but said the brew will be their blonde Verandah, and referenced a finding that 80 per cent of Canadian take their coffee with cream or sugar.

In a way, the day wrapped up as it began, with a discussion on the importance of online presence in this increasingly competitive industry. “Our brand is about moments of connections,” said Young-Scrivner. “Social media is a way to do that beyond the four walls of our store.”