In a sign of the times, a panel of corporate foodservice players touted the importance of diversity when given the chance to go off script during the opening session of the Produce Marketing Association’s Foodservice: Delivered digital event, held online the week of July 20-24.
This has traditionally been the time frame the popular PMA Foodservice Expo is held each year in Monterey. However, the presence of COVID-19 cancelled the show. That novel coronavirus and the tremendous impact it has had on the foodservice industry were certainly front-and-center during “The Future of Foodservice Operations - The Executive Perspective” seminar, but it was clear that the other major upheaval of the spring of 2020 – the Black Lives Matter movement – will also change the industry forever.
The four panelists — Anissa Mandell Chance of Focus Brand LLC, Lisa Kartzman of Shake Shack, Carlos Londono of Chipotle Mexican Grill and Hari Nagabhirava of The Cheesecake Factory Inc. — were all senior executives in supply chain management for their respective restaurant groups. They were guided through various topics by Kent Shoemaker, CEO of Lipman Family Farms, the Florida producer that calls itself the largest field grown tomato grower in North America.
Among the topics explored were the importance for labor savings in this COVID era, lessons learned during the pandemic, the importance of the supply chain and the need for your board room and executive suites to mirror the diversity in the country.
The panelists each explained how they have coped and survived the pandemic pivoting to take-out and curbside service, refashioning their menus and improving their partnerships.
Londono of Chipotle noted that the fast casual restaurant chain was able to adapt to food delivery and takeout very quickly, as those options were not foreign to its previous method of operation. He noted that “flexibility and adaptability” were the keys to their success, and also said that both pickup and delivery will continue to be important elements of the chain’s strategy moving forward.
Kartzman of Shake Shack agreed that business will never be the same in the post-COVID era. Curbside pickup was not part of the chain’s regular offerings but she said they are taking that into consideration as they design new stores. She added that the level of cooperation among the entire supply chain was enhanced and will be very beneficial moving forward. “We strengthened the collaborative approach,” she said, adding that the importance of chain business to suppliers was reinforced.
Chance made similar comments about Focus Brand banners, which include Cinnabon and Jamba Juice. “We are going to keep takeout and curbside pickup,” she said. “We only see those expanding.”
However, Chance expects that once the pandemic is in the rearview mirror, these chain restaurants will once again serve as community gathering spaces bringing people together for in-store dining. She also commented on the collaboration that has occurred in the past few months, noting that she has never collaborated with competitors in the same way that has occurred during this crisis. She indicated that competitors are discussing best practices and learning from each other.
As an executive at The Cheesecake Factor, Nagabhirava said the chain is anxious to return to the in-store experience in which it excels. He said “a vaccine will be a gamechanger” and that the company believes demand for in-store dining will come back as strong as ever. While the company has diversified its portfolio with other brands more conducive to take-out, delivery and curbside pickup, Nagabhirava said the “Cheesecake Factory is a place for families to gather. We will wait for that to return.”
The chain has done some curbside pickup and delivery, and interestingly it has not abbreviated its expansive menu to accommodate that alternative. The hefty menu, which features huge portions, is part of the company’s signature that it has not been willing to compromise.
Speaking of what grower-shippers can do to help the foodservice industry, Kartzman emphasized the advantage of finished products with little need for back-store prep work. With social distancing guidelines in place for the food preparation area of a restaurant, she said “saving labor is very important to us.”
Each of the speakers discussed their company’s diversity programs and the efforts they are making to create a more representative company profile. Chance succinctly said, “Diversity and inclusivity is the right thing to do.”
She said the company has not tracked the efforts of their supplier base in that regard in the past, but it will do so moving forward. She advised the virtual audience that in their own executive and corporate meetings, they should take a look around the room and note if everyone looks the same. “If you do, you are underrepresented.”
Kartzman agreed. “The country is a melting pot,” she said. “And your company should represent that.”
Seen above are (clockwise from top left) Kent Shoemaker, CEO of Lipman Family Farms, Carlos Londono of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Anissa Mandell Chance of Focus Brand LLC, Lisa Kartzman of Shake Shack and Hari Nagabhirava of The Cheesecake Factory Inc.
