Anna Tauzin - moderator
Chief Revenue & Innovation Officer | Texas Restaurant Association
At the Texas Restaurant Association, Anna leads the charge on shaking things up at the 84-year-old institution. She heads up all products and services, business development, marketing, and communication and also creates new member value through unique events and education. Additionally, she is driven to bring more restaurant technology to the state of Texas with unique partnerships and innovative programming.
Anna is a frequent speaker and serves on multiple boards, including SXSW Interactive and Restaurant Unstoppable.
Previous to coming to TRA, she headed up innovation for the National Restaurant Association in Washington, D.C.
She has worked in several restaurants during her career, including BOH and FOH. Her favorite job was as a Denny’s waitress on the graveyard shift. She could tell you some stories.
Corey Manicone
Co-Founder & CEO | Zuul
Zuul creates products and services that are designed to help people in the business of food keep creating, experimenting, and growing. From supporting multi-brand innovators to scale their business through simple tech solutions, to offering restaurateurs opportunities to grow in our kitchens, to providing consulting services to landlords & restaurants who want to build multi-brand ghost kitchen & virtual brand models, we’re here to keep the joy in food. Our mission: Help people thrive in the business of food.
James Walker
Senior Vice President of Restaurants | Nathan's Famous
Mr. James Walker, CFE, is a top restaurant industry expert with a specialty in rebranding and repositioning iconic American comfort food brands. Walker is an industry-leading authority in restaurant technology and delivery channels, and he specializes in mergers & acquisitions, domestic and international development, operations, franchising, and new product development.
With more than 30 years of broad based, senior level, management experience in the hospitality and retail industries, Walker has served as President, Chief
Development Officer, as well as in Senior Operations and New Product Development positions, for brands such as Baja Fresh®, Cinnabon®, Johnny Rockets® and Subway®. As the North American Vice President for Subway®, Walker oversaw their 28,000 restaurants in the U.S. and Canada. He has conducted business in more than 65 international markets, including such emerging markets as Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Pakistan and Mongolia. In 2019, Walker was appointed to the Board of Advisors for Ireland’s Rocket Restaurants Group, which includes Eddie Rocket’s chain of American diners and ROCKET’S fast casual restaurants.
Mr. Walker holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, and has received certificates and diplomas from a number of culinary institutions and colleges, including Yale’s School of Management, and Harvard’s Business School. A life-long learner, Walker recently completed MIT’s “Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Business Strategy” program. In 2020 and 2017, he was a Reader’s Pick for the Nation’s Restaurant News “Power List” of notable restaurant executives. In 2016, he was awarded the President’s “E” Award by President Obama for Excellence in Furthering American Business Internationally. In 2015, the International Franchise Association (IFA) conferred the designation of Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) to Mr. Walker.Anna is a frequent speaker and serves on multiple boards, including SXSW Interactive and Restaurant Unstoppable.
Previous to coming to TRA, she headed up innovation for the National Restaurant Association in Washington, D.C.
She has worked in several restaurants during her career, including BOH and FOH. Her favorite job was as a Denny’s waitress on the graveyard shift. She could tell you some stories.
Geoff Alexander
President & CEO | Wow Bao
Nine days after graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1993, Geoff Alexander joined Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises (LEYE). After two decades of working on multiple concepts within LEYE’s portfolio, Alexander took over LEYE’s three unit Wow Bao concept in 2009.
In 2010, under Alexander’s leadership, Wow Bao had revolutionized the way diners would interact with restaurants by being a leader in technology and social media. Alexander implemented mobile & desktop ordering, installed self-ordering kiosks, pioneered a mobile gift card & loyalty program, added bicycle delivery, as well as domestic shipping, and turned Wow Bao into a well-respected social media influencer. Wow Bao was one of the first Chicago brick & mortar restaurants to take to the streets with its BAO-Mobile.
Alexander has overseen Wow Bao’s inclusion into airports, NFL/MLB/NHL/NBA stadiums, university campuses, music venues, and more than 300 grocers sell Wow Bao’s frozen retail line.
In 2018 Alexander changed the landscape for fast casual dining by introducing Wow Bao 2.0 – a fully front of the house tech enabled environment, where guests order via an iOS or Android device, and pick up their food from an animated personalized cubby.
Shortly after being named to Nation’s Restaurant News 2020 Power List, Alexander evolved the restaurant industry once again by launching 100 Wow Bao Dark Kitchens in more than 60 cities in just six short months. This new extension of the business is not only allowing Wow Bao to grow a national footprint, it is also helping restaurant operators across the nation grow top line sales and increase bottom line profits.Anna is a frequent speaker and serves on multiple boards, including SXSW Interactive and Restaurant Unstoppable.
Previous to coming to TRA, she headed up innovation for the National Restaurant Association in Washington, D.C.
She has worked in several restaurants during her career, including BOH and FOH. Her favorite job was as a Denny’s waitress on the graveyard shift. She could tell you some stories.
Wade Allen
Senior Vice President of Innovation | Brinker International
Wade Allen is senior vice president of innovation at Brinker International, Inc. where he oversees culinary innovation, engineering, strategic growth and the development and execution of virtual brands. His team develops creative ways for Brinker to leverage the consumer, social, economic and technological changes that are disrupting the restaurant industry for the good of Brinker’s Guests, Team Members and Shareholders.
During his tenure, Wade has held several leadership roles in technology, analytics and digital marketing, most recently as chief digital officer. He began his Brinker career in 2014 as vice president of digital guest experience and analytics for Chili’s where he led the implementation and continued advancement of tabletop devices, My Chili’s Rewards, and Chili’s mobile app & website.
Prior to joining Brinker, Wade served as president of CouponFactory, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the digital agency Rockfish Interactive. He held positions as vice president of retail for Rockfish Interactive and as an account director/solution lead at the integrated marketing agency, RAPP, where he worked on a number of multinational brands.
Wade serves on the digital innovation advisory council for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® and is an active member of his church. He holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Brigham Young University and a master’s degree in integrated marketing communications from Northwestern University.
Wade enjoys spending time with his wife and four children, reading about emerging technology, politics and history and stays active by participating in CrossFit and other athletic activities.