Vik Rao is a Senior Project Manager with the Operations Services team at Qdoba Restaurant Corporation, a fast casual chain based in San Diego, CA and serving up delicious Mexican-inspired food through its 740+ locations in the US & Canada. With a passion for process optimization, technology, and innovation, he has thoroughly enjoyed his unconventional role as an Industrial Engineer in the food service sector for more than a decade, leading initiatives to help elevate restaurant operations efficiency and guest experience. During his time in the industry, he has been instrumental in implementing several novel technologies in the QSR space like computer simulation applications, digital platforms for on-premise and off-premise customer interactions, and back of house automation to maximize labor throughput. Prior to joining Qdoba Mexican Eats, Vik oversaw Ops Simplification and digitization strategies for brands like Pizza Hut & KFC in the US and Canada. When he’s not with his Qdoba partners realizing their mission of bringing flavor to people’s lives, he loves being around his young family, traveling, cooking up a new concoction in the kitchen, or watching his favorite movies!

As CEO for Tarka Indian Kitchen, he is responsible for business development and expansion, along with being a resource to the team for all aspects of operation. In the early days, he was co-executive chef of Tarka along with Navdeep Singh. After helping Navdeep create the procedures and manuals to systemetize the operation, he took the position of Project Manager and CEO responsible for growing the concept in Austin and other markets in hopes of one day being THE national fast-casual brand for Indian Food in the United States and beyond. He is responsible for site selection, lease negotiation, construction and initial set up of all locations, and actively looking for locations and markets for our next set of units.

Matt Davis is the Director of Strategic Operations and Implementation at IHOP. He is a dynamic and tactical operations leader with a 20+ year record of excellence and achievement in restaurant, retail, environmental services and e-commerce-focused organizations. Matt was previously the Senior Manager of Strategic Operations at Dine Brands Global.

Jeff Baskin is the Chief Business Officer for Radius Networks, responsible for the strategic direction, growth, and expansion of Flybuy, a location platform for BOPIS/Curbside pickup, contactless payments, drive-thru, and delivery. As a seasoned professional with 20+ years of omni-channel retail experience, Jeff has a proven track record in the origination and management of strategic partnerships with multi-million dollar revenue outcomes. Prior to leading the FlyBuy team, Jeff was responsible for business development, sales, customer success, product development, and implementation across all at EVERFI as well as Simplexity which was later acquired by Walmart.