Over the past three years the restaurant industry has changed in ways that were once considered unimaginable. How will operators adapt designs and equipment selections to do more with less labor? How will changes in consumer preferences, work habits and more impact where operators look to open their restaurants? How will operators use technology to efficiently meet the needs of both on- and off-premises customers? This panel of operators spanning a variety of segments and geographies will address these issues and more during this presentation.
Brooks Kirchheimer, Co-Founder & Co-Owner, Hearth and Hill, and Leave Room for Dessert Eateries
Hearth and Hill represents Brooks’s entrée into restaurant ownership, a lifelong dream. In 2008, the La Canada, CA native received his Restaurant and Hotel Management degree from the University of Denver, after which the new Montage Beverly Hills hotel hired him to launch its Conservatory Grill. Just a year later, Brooks was tapped to run the room service and amenity program, followed in 2010 by a move to the new Montage Deer Valley, where he managed Daly’s Pub & Rec.
In 2013, Brooks was recruited to Zoom, the Sundance Resort property on Main Street, where he and his team resurrected this landmark restaurant’s fortunes. In late 2015, Brooks and his wife Catherine moved to Maui, where Brooks served as an Assistant General Manager at famed restaurateur Peter Merriman’s eponymous oceanside restaurant.
In late 2017, Brooks and Catherine, and their dog Boone, returned home to Park City, in part to pursue Brooks’s goal of starting his own restaurant. Brooks wouldn’t do it anywhere else: “I’m grateful and humbled by the opportunity to affect positively so many lives in a community I love, starting with our associates. Each day, I’m driven by the desire to make Hearth and Hill a popular gathering spot for every resident and visitor to the area.”
Wayne A. Schick, Senior Vice President of Restaurant Planning and Procurement, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants
Wayne Schick joined the Cameron Mitchell Restaurants (CMR) team in 1997. In his role as the senior vice president of restaurant planning and procurement, Wayne performs a fundamental role in the growth, development and design of all Cameron Mitchell Restaurants (CMR). He has a great appreciation for the process of building both the company and its outstanding restaurants together with the CMR team of associates. He oversees all aspects of Buckeye Hospitality Construction, CMR’s own construction company, information technology, purchasing and all vendor partner relationships.
With more than two decades with the company, Schick is a valuable and trusted resource at CMR for his role in the ideation, development and introduction of new restaurant concepts. He plays a pivotal role in ensuring that all aspects of a new restaurant work smoothly – from serving as a liaison across operations, design and construction teams to ensuring that purchasing and operations elements are established for new restaurants.
Schick spent his first year with the company as the executive chef at Cap City Fine Diner. He was quickly promoted and spent 12 years as vice president and executive corporate chef, overseeing the day-to-day culinary operations of all the restaurants as well as the purchasing programs of the company. In 2009, Schick transitioned into the role of vice president of store planning and purchasing and, in 2016, was promoted to his current position as senior vice president. Schick is a valued member of the CMR executive team and remains instrumental in creating and launching new CMR restaurant concepts.
Schick brought to CMR an impressive decade of restaurant industry experience as an executive chef for Stouffer Restaurants and the renowned Chuck Muer Restaurants.
Throughout his time with the team, Schick is most proud of all the strong vendor partnerships that the company has with the business community that supports the industry every day. Meeting successful entrepreneurs, learning what they have learned, and partnering with them has been integral to the long-term success of CMR. The company would not be here today without these vendor partners.
Schick proudly serves on the board of the Ohio Restaurant Association (ORA).
Schick attended the University of Akron where he studied civil engineering. During his downtime, you may find him on his bicycle, where he is trying to become an avid rider and working towards his first century ride. His favorite CMR meal would be the Chicken Giardiniera at Marcella’s, the beet salad at The Pearl or anything seafood.
Josh Zadikoff, President, Cornerstone Restaurant Group
Growing up with family members spread internationally, Josh was fortunate enough to travel extensively and experience a variety of different cultures, always putting particular focus on their hospitality and food practices. After receiving his bachelor’s degree from University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, Josh decided to join the family business with his father, David Zadikoff, who founded Cornerstone Restaurant Group nearly 30 years ago. Josh’s first foray into the industry was as Assistant Manager at SolToro Tequila Grill and subsequently, he’s worked his way up through a variety of roles – including Food & Beverage Manager at Hyatt Regency Chicago, Assistant Executive Steward at Hyatt Regency Chicago, and Assistant General Manager at Michael Jordan’s Steak House in Chicago – before entering his current role at Cornerstone Restaurant Group in 2013.
