Articles
July 15, 2025
The Table digs into industry challenges and solutions
Conference addresses the changing business landscape and becoming ‘future ready’.
Pictured, from left: the Association’s Michelle Korsmo talks tech with Five Guys’ Zerrick Pearson, Aramark’s Ted Orman, Lehigh Valley’s Ed Kruczek, and IFBTA’s Rob Grimes.
Focusing on the challenges restaurants face and its commitment to ensuring operators are prepared to run “future-ready restaurants,” the National Restaurant Association brought 130 brands from 34 states together for The Table, its annual conference geared toward helping industry professionals understand, navigate, and improve day-to-day operations at their respective businesses.
“Knowledge is always better shared,” Association President & CEO Michelle Korsmo told the conference’s attendees. “That’s why we’re here—to have hard conversations, lean into complex issues, and learn from each other so we’re better able to shape the future.”
Topics for discussion included:
Rich Schneider, the Association’s 2025 Board Chair, agreed with Korsmo, telling attendees that the conversations at The Table would not only help operators prepare for the future but also help them make the changes necessary to adapt to new technologies and different ways of doing business.
“What we've done here, the conversations we’ve had, the relationships we’ve begun building with peers, will only open your eyes to things taking place, they’ll also make a huge difference in the ways we operate our businesses,” Schneider, Chief Development Officer for travel and hospitality concessionaire Areas USA, said.
At a session on the Make America Healthy Again movement (MAHA), Aaron Frazier, the Association’s Vice President of Public Policy, said the Administration’s main goal isn’t necessarily to establish regulatory policy, but, rather, grow public interest in access to healthier and whole food options, items and ingredients.
“We are monitoring the trend lines closely, and working hard to balance the rhetoric,” he said. “It’s important to tell everyone that restaurants are offering healthier options for children—water, milk, 100% juice, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. Not only that, those foods have been included on menus for some time.”
Jerry Morgan, CEO of the casual-dining Texas Roadhouse brand, participated in a far-ranging discussion with Korsmo on how his company stays true to its core values while evolving to meet the needs of its guests and employees.
“Our goal is to provide legendary food and service, be great community partners, and understand what value means to people,” he said. “That, plus our operational excellence, has really been the secret to our success.”
“Each of you has something to do that's uniquely yours, something you've been through that when you share it with your frontline leaders or team members, you’ll create authenticity,” she said. “I implore you to open that curtain, show them what's possible, and do what’s yours to do in this lifetime. You may lead teams and interact with people, but you may not know exactly what each individual needs. What you can do is show up and be your true, authentic self.”
“I think culturally, as we get more accustomed to AI, it will become even more highly accepted,” said Zerrick Pearson, CIO of quickservice burger behemoth Five Guys Enterprises. “It will help with so many different things—automating how you prep food, scheduling shifts to keep the best folks on during peak operations, or even tailoring ads and promotions for every customer or individual who walks into your restaurant in real time. It will make your marketing and engagement teams far more efficient in what they do. That's the future.”
Learn more about The Table
Knowledge is better shared
The 3-day event, themed “Future Ready Restaurants Start Here,” and held in Louisville, KY, featured seven tracks of concurrent programming curated by the Association’s Expert Exchange steering committees in Food Safety & Quality Assurance, HR, Internal Audit, Nutrition, Sustainability, Tax, and Technology. The goal: to help restaurateurs reinvent and grow their businesses while preparing their employees to compete in a new operating era.“Knowledge is always better shared,” Association President & CEO Michelle Korsmo told the conference’s attendees. “That’s why we’re here—to have hard conversations, lean into complex issues, and learn from each other so we’re better able to shape the future.”
Topics for discussion included:
- Technology trends and cybersecurity considerations
- Navigating nutrition and the Make America Healthy Again movement
- The new federal tax policy’s effect on restaurant businesses
- The state of sustainable packaging in foodservice
Rich Schneider, the Association’s 2025 Board Chair, agreed with Korsmo, telling attendees that the conversations at The Table would not only help operators prepare for the future but also help them make the changes necessary to adapt to new technologies and different ways of doing business.
“What we've done here, the conversations we’ve had, the relationships we’ve begun building with peers, will only open your eyes to things taking place, they’ll also make a huge difference in the ways we operate our businesses,” Schneider, Chief Development Officer for travel and hospitality concessionaire Areas USA, said.
At a session on the Make America Healthy Again movement (MAHA), Aaron Frazier, the Association’s Vice President of Public Policy, said the Administration’s main goal isn’t necessarily to establish regulatory policy, but, rather, grow public interest in access to healthier and whole food options, items and ingredients.
“We are monitoring the trend lines closely, and working hard to balance the rhetoric,” he said. “It’s important to tell everyone that restaurants are offering healthier options for children—water, milk, 100% juice, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. Not only that, those foods have been included on menus for some time.”
Jerry Morgan, CEO of the casual-dining Texas Roadhouse brand, participated in a far-ranging discussion with Korsmo on how his company stays true to its core values while evolving to meet the needs of its guests and employees.
“Our goal is to provide legendary food and service, be great community partners, and understand what value means to people,” he said. “That, plus our operational excellence, has really been the secret to our success.”
Do what’s yours to do
During a keynote presentation, author and former KFC COO Monica Rothgery shared that one of the most important things a business leader can do is work on creating relationships with team members that are built on trust and authenticity.“Each of you has something to do that's uniquely yours, something you've been through that when you share it with your frontline leaders or team members, you’ll create authenticity,” she said. “I implore you to open that curtain, show them what's possible, and do what’s yours to do in this lifetime. You may lead teams and interact with people, but you may not know exactly what each individual needs. What you can do is show up and be your true, authentic self.”
The future of technology
During a presentation about how emerging technology is transforming restaurant operations, a panel of technology executives said the main goal is to ensure that workforce teams are as efficient as possible and agreed that’s the reason for AI’s increasing popularity.“I think culturally, as we get more accustomed to AI, it will become even more highly accepted,” said Zerrick Pearson, CIO of quickservice burger behemoth Five Guys Enterprises. “It will help with so many different things—automating how you prep food, scheduling shifts to keep the best folks on during peak operations, or even tailoring ads and promotions for every customer or individual who walks into your restaurant in real time. It will make your marketing and engagement teams far more efficient in what they do. That's the future.”
Learn more about The Table
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