Huxtaburger’s CEO Matt Fickling will answer questions about when, how and why to franchise at this year’s Restaurant Leaders Summit. Fickling has overseen the brand’s successful transition from a company owned business to a franchise model.
Fickling will discuss the pros and cons of franchising with Chat Thai director Palisa Anderson, DC Strategy partner Suzanne Jarzabkowska, and founder of Mad Mex, Clovis Young. The panel will provide insight into how operators can decide if this vehicle for growth is suitable for their business.
“I’m looking forward to sharing my experience and knowledge on transitioning from a single destination restaurant model to a multi-site food franchise. With food being the largest single sector for franchising globally, I’ll talk about the Australian landscape and why a transition to franchising means much more than gaining access to capital for scale and growth,” said Fickling.
“Through my experience working with multi-site franchises, I’ll also explain why the process is actually an extension of a business’ HR strategy, while also delving into the importance of brand and culture. I’ve also got some impressive statistics about the success rate of well-recruited franchisees to share.”
Fickling is among more than 30 leading operators, industry experts and government officials who will speak at the summit on topics ranging from staffing and keeping costs in check to driving revenue and marketing.
Other speakers include:
- Josh Niland, owner, Saint Peter
- Tony Panetta, executive chef, International Convention Centre Sydney
- Lisa Margan, co-owner, Margan winery and restaurant in the Hunter Valley
- Nino Zoccali, owner, The Restaurant Pendolino and La Rosa
- Andrew El-Bayeh, director of Example PR and former marketing director at Merivale
- Jason Jelicich, partner and senior business coach, Barmetrix
- Paul Rifkin, executive chef, Campbelltown Catholic Club
- Clovis Young, founder, Mad Mex
- Palisa Anderson, founder, Chat Thai
- Ramzey Choker, founder, The Grounds
- Dan Mylonas, art director, The Grounds
- Mo Wyse, owner, Smith & Daughters
- Jay Yip, general manager tourism, trade, development, Trippas White Group
- Geoff Ikin, general manager, global media, PR and social, Tourism Australia
- Natalie James, Fair Work Ombudsman
- Alex Hawke, assistant minister for Border Protection and Immigration
With plenty of networking opportunities throughout the day, The Restaurant Leaders Summit promises to be an invaluable event for all stakeholders within the restaurant and foodservice industry.
Early bird tickets for restaurant trade (operators, managers, chefs, etc) are on sale until 30 June 2017 priced at $249 + GST. From 1 July 2017, tickets will be priced at $349 + GST. Suppliers may purchase tickets for the early bird rate of $499 + GST until 30 June 2017. From 1 July 2017 tickets will be priced at $599 + GST. Restaurant operators who buy eight tickets or more tickets will get a discount of 20 percent.
To view the video packages from last year’s Restaurant Leaders Summit, click here.
