Restaurateur Roy Choi, Former Yum! Brands CEO David Novak and Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times investigative reporter Charles Duhigg will be the keynote speakers at this year’s MUFSO conference. The conference will be held October 23 to 25 at the Hyatt Regency Reunion in Dallas.
“The workforce, productivity and culinary creativity are all top-of-mind in the foodservice industry today and I know that this terrific lineup of speakers will inform and inspire MUFSO attendees and give them valuable insights to take back to their teams," said Laura Viscusi, vice president and market leader of the Penton Food and Restaurant Group, which presents MUFSO.
Choi, who started disrupting the restaurant scene with his Kogi truck, which ushered in the food truck era, has continued to challenge conventional wisdom by reaching customers in new ways with his innovative social media strategy.
His latest restaurant concept, LocoL, seeks to bring healthful, affordable food to underserved communities, changing the way we think of fast food.
Author of the autobiographical book L.A. Son: My Life, My City, My Food, Choi continues to advocate for social justice and for the responsibility of the restaurant industry to serve all parts of American society.
Duhigg will speak on the morning of Monday, Oct. 24 at 8:15 a.m. on the topic “Smarter, Faster, Better.”
Author of the book “The Power of Habit,” which explores the science of habit formation, Duhigg will share eight concepts he says are at the core of innovation and productivity. He will use recent studies from the United States Marine Corps boot camp, the making of the hit Walt Disney Pictures film “Frozen,” and corporate operations at Google to explain how companies and people become smarter, faster and better.
Novak will speak on Tuesday, October 25 at 8:15 a.m. on the topic: “The Awesome Power of Recognition.”
An expert on leadership and recognition culture, Novak, who is co-founder and former CEO of Yum! Brands, parent company of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, is also the author of “The Education of an Accidental CEO” and “Taking People With You.” The latter was on the New York Times bestseller list. He will discuss strategies for appreciating all people for who they are and what they do.