Sustainable practices can drive sales performance in your restaurant. Leading from the heart can help your employees stay engaged, productive, and loyal to your brand. The food service industry as a whole can lead the way in reforming employment practices and adapting to the modern workforce. These were some of the biggest takeaways from Black Box Intelligence (formerly TDn2K)’s 2017 Global Best Practices Conference in Dallas, Texas. Now, as the final quarter of 2017 begins, restaurant operators prepare to close the year and begin planning for the next. Fortunately, the Global Best Practices Conference is already shaping up to offer solutions to some of the most pressing problems facing the industry today, such as rising labor costs, an unengaged workforce, and growing pressure from outside competition.

Insights and Inspiration from Industry Leaders

Here's what you can look forward to in 2018:

• Denny Post, CEO of Red Robin, and Carin Stutz, EVP and COO of Red Robin, are this year’s conference chairs. They will bring their enthusiasm for the industry and wisdom from years of leadership to the stage to facilitate discussions and networking
• City of Plano Mayor Harry LaRosiliere will take the stage to welcome attendees and share his unique story of leading the "City of Excellence" to become a city of growth, prosperity, and generosity.
• Kristofor Lofgren, CEO and founder of Sustainable Restaurant Group returns for his second year in a row to share how independent restaurants are eating chains’ lunches, and what to do about it.
• Closing keynote speaker Danny Meyer, CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, will speak to the audience about conscious capitalism, purpose, and serving great food and hospitality in his award-winning dining concepts.

Learn more about Global Best Practices here.

Still not convinced? Check out why some of the top industry executives love the Global Best Practices Conference.

Every year I'm reminded of the power of this industry and the people that represent millions of restaurant team members all around the world. For three days out of the year, we're not competitors. I think we need a few more than just three a year. We could be incredibly powerful as a combined force.

The 2017 Global Best Practices Conference was informative, relevant, and timely given the many challenges we face as an industry. I look forward to the next conference to network and engage in "real-time" discussions and challenges we all face in this space. Cheers to the Black Box Intelligence (formerly TDn2K) team!

I look forward to the Black Box Intelligence (formerly TDn2K) Conference each year. It is a great time to connect with colleagues and hear from industry leaders. I always walk away inspired and with a list of ideas!

I attend a lot of conferences and this is by far the best. Lots of great information and lots of heart. Competitors are willing to share for the benefit of the industry as a whole. Fantastic!

The best conference of the year brings together like-minded leaders and strategists who know the path to greatness is accomplished with a people-first approach serving customers at the highest level and being sustainable in your approach. Black Box Intelligence (formerly TDn2K) has been at the forefront of this thinking for over 20 years and has been able to demonstrate with data that it produces far superior business results.