​​Meredith Sandland and Carl Orsbourn are co-authors of the new book Delivering the Digital Restaurant: Your Roadmap to the Future of Food, which explores the massive disruption facing American restaurants through first-hand accounts of food industry veterans and start-up entrepreneurs innovating the future of food. Combining sociological observations, rich industry data, and insider knowledge, Delivering paints a picture of how food is evolving and how leaders, owners, and operators can successfully innovate and meet the new consumer demands to capitalize on the opportunities ahead.

Meredith Sandland spent two decades in consulting, corporate strategy, and restaurant development. After building 1,000+ restaurants as the Chief Development Officer at Yum! Brands’ Taco Bell, Meredith observed that the on-demand economy was starting to affect restaurants. Meredith joined ghost kitchen start-up Kitchen United as employee #4 to create their business model, raise initial capital, and serve as the public face of the GV (Google Ventures)-backed disruptor. 

Carl Orsbourn led BP-owned ampm and its billion-dollar grab-and-go food and beverage offering across the brand’s 1,000+ convenience retail locations. At BP, Carl obsessed over consumer convenience and transformed ampm’s fresh food offerings to deliver record growth. In 2018, Carl joined Kitchen United to lead Operations, working with restaurant brands to reinvent an operating system that capitalized on the rapidly changing face of food delivery. 

Carl & Meredith created Delivering the Digital Restaurant’s online companion, LEARN.DELIVERY, to help restaurants succeed in the digital economy. Learn. Delivery provides access to tools designed by leading experts that enable restaurants to chart their own path to digital maturity.

Michael Liu has over 15 years of F&B and food-tech experience. Prior to joining JustKitchen he held the role of Head of Commercial for Deliveroo in Taiwan and prior to that, he was COO of Supreme Café Group and Director of Operations for Waves Coffee International.

Nick Bogacz is the President and Founder of Caliente Pizza & Draft House, a bar-restaurant located in the Pittsburgh region. ​With over 20 years of experience in the industry, he opened his first location in 2012 and has grown quickly to the 5+ locations today. Bringing in a gourmet chef as his top pizzaiolo, Caliente’s pies have received national and worldwide acclaim, including the World Championships at the Pizza Expo for three years in a row and The Best American Pizza at the World Pizza Championships in Italy. Nick is also the author of the book The Pizza Equation: Slicing Up How to Run a Successful Pizza Enterprise and podcast host of the Business Equation Podcast.

Nadav Solomon is the Co-Founder and President of Tabit Restaurant Technologies, a cloud-based point of sale and tableside ordering system. Nadav ​​was a former Lieutenant commander for Israeli Navy in charge of all command and control systems and before studying biotechnology and food engineering. He co-founded Tabit in 2014 with Barry Shaked.

Shahpour Nejad immigrated from Iran to the USA at 16 years old where he attended high school and college. During his college years, he began working at a local pizza restaurant where he gained a passion for the pizza business. Although Nejad earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, he decided to pursue his love for pizza and opened Pizza Guys with his partner, Reza Kalantari. The company has grown from a single store operation opened in 1986 to over 75 locations in three states. 

Matt Rolfe is a coach, speaker, bestselling author, and entrepreneur who mentors the top 10 percent of the hospitality industry in unlocking their true potential. With a primary focus on personal development, Matt enables high-performing leaders to build unified teams and effectively delegate responsibilities for maximum growth. He is the founder of Results Hospitality and Westshore Hospitality Group, where he has worked with hundreds of leadership teams throughout North America. Beginning his career with companies like Bacardi and Labatt/Anheuser-Busch, Matt is an industry expert dedicated to helping leaders examine the human element of their business and execute effective team-building strategies unique to their needs. Matt lives in Toronto with his wife Lindsay, their two children, and their golden retriever.  

Executive Chef Joshua Karther brings years of experience to Hyatt Lodge Oak Brook. Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Chef Karther graduated from Northland Career Center with a degree in Culinary Arts in 2002. Chef Karther joined Hyatt Lodge Oak Brook as Sous Chef, moved up the culinary ladder and was appointed Executive Chef in 2021. With each dish he creates, he strives to be innovative and cutting-edge, providing guests at Hyatt Lodge Oak Brook with an exciting and ever-changing culinary experience. Outside of the restaurant, Chef Karther volunteers for Feed my Starving Children in Naperville, IL, a nonprofit dedicated to feeding children and empowering communities, and a cause close to his heart. 

Shawn Lalehzarian is the Co-Founder and CEO of The Red Chickz, a Nashville hot chicken concept based in LA. He started working in the restaurant industry as a dishwasher and moved up the ranks as a server and cook before landing a management position. Because Shawn saw firsthand how each role in the restaurant operates, he has gained strong leadership skills and management strategies that has led The Red Chickz to become a fierce competitor on the West Coast’s Nashville hot chicken scene.