Off-Premise Boot Camp Episode #5: Delivery Season - How to Engage with Customers When the Cold Weather Hits

Elizabeth Swindle is a City Manager at Uber Eats overseeing the Detroit, Toledo, and Dayton markets. Hailing from Southeast Michigan and most recently living in Chicago for the last 6+ years, she considers herself to be a true Midwesterner. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan, and her experience includes a stint in the consumer packaged goods space prior to her current role at Uber. In her free time, Elizabeth enjoys trying new restaurants around Chicago. Working at Uber has provided her with the perfect balance of combining her passion for food alongside her motivation to serve the restaurant industry and help her partners grow their businesses.

Growing up in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Joe started his career early on at his cousin’s local coffee shop and at friends' restaurants around the city. Creating and building teams inspired his drive to eventually run a business. After college, Joe fed his entrepreneurial spirit working for Monen Family Restaurant Group restaurants including Milk & Honey in Chattanooga and Taco Mamacita in Nashville and Charleston before moving to New York. He then worked for Union Square Hospitality Group while attending the Institute of Culinary Education for a culinary degree. After completing the program, he then worked for Kate Edwards Consulting as a Project Manager. From there he joined the Shake Shack family, running as General Manager while opening two locations, one in Scottsdale, the other in Manhattan. He later took the role of Directing catering, retail, wholesale and operations at Il Buco and Il Buco Alimentari e Vineria. In 2017, Joe joined Pizza Loves Emily to head Operations for all of the locations in New York and in Tennessee and to help continue to grow the brand.

David's passion lies at the crossroads of urban design, transportation, and large-scale environmental systems. Personally and professionally, I strive to create richer opportunities for civic and intellectual engagement by enhancing the sensory experience of city - how we conceive, engage, and interact with our environments.

Nikoa Evans is a business strategist with an expertise in marketing and brand positioning; and community/economic development. Evans twenty-five years’ experience includes advising national brands, retail developers, entrepreneurs and economic development corporations on market entry strategy, consumer engagement, business development and commercial revitalization strategies in emerging U.S. markets. Nikoa is also a co-founding board member and strategic consultant for economic development corporation Harlem Park to Park (HP2P). She has served as the organization’s Executive Director for 11 years; and currently oversees the general management, marketing strategy, business/economic development, and strategic partnerships for HP2P, which represents 250+ entrepreneurs in Harlem, NY. Under her leadership, Harlem Park to Park has created and implemented results driven strategic initiatives designed to integrate community engagement, cultural preservation and economic development. Prior to advising Harlem Park to Park, Evans served as Vice President of Investments for financial lending institution Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone (UMEZ), managing a $3 million restaurant and retail initiative designed to assess investment opportunities for retail and restaurant expansion within the Harlem market. As an Executive Producer, Nikoa spearheaded the commission and public art exhibition of the Black Lives Matter Harlem Street Mural. An accomplished entrepreneur, Nikoa is co-founder and managing partner of Counter Culture Hospitality Group, owner of restaurant brands: former La Bodega 47 Speakeasy, Sexy Taco restaurant and bar; and Ruby’s Vintage restaurant and bar. Nikoa received her B.A. in Economics from Stanford University and an MBA from J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. She is a graduate of the premiere civic leadership training program, Coro New York produced in partnership with NYC Small Business Services; and recipient of City & State’s “Responsible 100” award. She is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and lives in New York City with her husband, Garrett Lee Hendricks, a writer, producer, and actor in theater, television and film. They have an 8-year-old daughter named Zuri Alija.