Tuesday, July 26
JOINT SESSION
5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Registration Open
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Opening Reception
*Dinner on your own after Opening Reception
Wednesday, July 27
JOINT SESSION
7:30 – 8:30 a.m.
Registration & Breakfast
8:30 – 9:00 a.m.
Welcome & Company Introductions
Finance, Tax & Audit Steering Committee
9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Restaurant Industry Outlook & Trends
Speaker: Hudson Riehle, Senior Vice President, Research & Knowledge, National Restaurant Association
What are the challenges and bright spots for the industry at the midyear mark and what effect might they have on finances? Get the current data and upcoming trends reshaping the industry—as a whole and specific segments—including employment trends, food costs, menu costs, inflation, and supply chain outlook.
Presented by:
10:00 – 10:15 a.m.
Networking Break
10:15 – 11:15 a.m.
Building a Thriving Relationship with Third-Party Delivery Companies for Audit, Finance and Tax Professionals
Moderator: Kathie Vu, SVP, Membership, National Restaurant Association
Steering Committee Member Panelists:
Kate Sawyer, Manager, Internal Audit, The Cheesecake Factory
Barbara Wilson, Director, Corporate Tax, White Castle
Peter Odman, Director, Internal Audit & Chief Auditor, Panera Bread
Operators share their best practices when establishing financial contracts with multiple Third-Party Delivery partners. What reports do finance professionals rely on, what formats deliver the information operators need in the way they need it, and what would improve the reporting process will all be covered.
11:15 – 12:15 p.m.
Policy Update
Speaker: Aaron Frazier, Vice President, Public Policy, National Restaurant Association
With the hyper partisan midterm elections less than six months away, Frazier will provide a high-level overview of the upcoming elections and state of play for issues impacting our industry. From labor and workforce, to supply chain issues, inflation, unionization, immigration, restaurant recovery, tax and more. Frazier will cover a broad array of priorities for 2022 and beyond.
12:15 – 1:00 p.m.
Lunch
INTERNAL AUDIT TRACK
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
PCAOB Oversight Update
Speakers:
John Barbagallo, Managing Director, Department of Professional Practice, KPMG LLP
Daniel McCain, Audit Partner, KPMG LLP
This session will provide you an update on the PCAOB and its impact on audits. You'll learn PCAOB's current expectations of public registrants and their control environments, hot topics, and areas that the PCAOB is laser-focused on, and what your auditors will be looking for in your control environment. You'll also gain a better understanding of the pressures your auditors face from the PCAOB, and become better able to process, respond to, and anticipate the higher regulatory thresholds it now demands.
2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Cyber Threat Landscape in a Post-Pandemic World
Moderator: Luke Vander Linden, Vice President, Membership & Marketing, Retail & Hospitality ISAC
Panelists:
David Lusk, IT Security Manager, Fiesta Restaurant Group
Alison Brunelle, Senior Director, RSM
Cyber threats continue to evolve and grow at a rapid-fire pace. This session discusses the major cyber threats to restaurants and how to identify and defend yourself and your organization from attacks. You'll hear about today's cyber threat landscape, what internal auditors need to know about cyber threats, and resources that can help you mitigate threats.
Presented by:
3:00 – 3:15 p.m.
Networking Break
3:15 – 5:15 p.m.
Operator Roundtable Session
Operators will discuss issues involving senior, middle and entry level personnel.
TAX TRACK
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Automation & Technology
Moderator: Dan McRae, Vice President, Income & Property Tax, Darden Restaurants
Panelists:
Matt Brown, Managing Director, State & Local Tax, FORVIS
Tom Haldiman, Director, FORVIS
Kelly Necessary, Partner, Tax Transformation, FORVIS
Scott Garvey, Senior Director, Data Analytics & AI, Microsoft
Join us for a practical discussion on the use of technology and automation tools in finance and tax departments. Our panelists include technologists with industry and public accounting experience, including process review and design, automated workflows, robotics process automation, data lakes and data warehousing, and other related technologies that create increased efficiency and accuracy within the department. The interactive discussion will go through real-world examples and provide practical takeaways for attendees.
Presented by:
2:00 - 2:10 p.m.
Transition - Finance folks head to Stemmons B
2:10 – 3:00 p.m.
Evolving ERTC Relief and Forecasting Tax Threats & Opportunities
Speakers:
Todd Simmens, National Managing Partner, Tax Risk Management, BDO
Aaron Frazier, Vice President, Public Policy, National Restaurant Association
The COVID-related Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) changed four times in 20 months, making many restaurants both eager to apply and puzzled about timing. We will examine how ERTC has evolved and why restaurants are uniquely eligible for this critical relief. Additionally, tax opportunities and threats will be detailed as Congress continues to evaluate its expensive Build Back Better agenda and potential revenue raising provisions. In this session you'll hear about the legislation due to sunset and change in the coming years such as bonus depreciation, WOTC, etc., as well as proposed legislation applicable to the restaurant industry.
3:00 – 3:15 p.m.
Networking Break
3:15 - 5:15 p.m.
Operator Roundtable Session
Operators will discuss issues involving senior, middle and entry level personnel.
FINANCE TRACK
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Automation & Technology
Moderator: Dan McRae, Vice President, Income & Property Tax, Darden Restaurants
Panelists:
Matt Brown, Managing Director, State & Local Tax, FORVIS
Tom Haldiman, Director, FORVIS
Kelly Necessary, Partner, Tax Transformation, FORVIS
Scott Garvey, Senior Director, Data Analytics & AI, Microsoft
Join us for a practical discussion on the use of technology and automation tools in finance and tax departments. Our panelists include technologists with industry and public accounting experience, including process review and design, automated workflows, robotics process automation, data lakes and data warehousing, and other related technologies that create increased efficiency and accuracy within the department. The interactive discussion will go through real-world examples and provide practical takeaways for attendees.
Presented by:
2:00 – 2:10 p.m.
Networking Break
2:10 - 3 p.m.
Capital Markets Perspective in a Challenging Market Environment
Speaker: Aaron Weisbrod, Managing Director & Head of Restaurant Investment Banking,, J.P. Morgan
Today's tumultuous market conditions warrant a discussion on current state of play and future trends, what financial executives can expect and how to best navigate in this challenging market environment.
3:00 - 3:15 p.m.
Networking Break
3:15 - 4:15 p.m.
Get Smart on Taxes: Top 10 Issues for Finance Professionals
Speakers:
Lisa Haffer, Tax Partner/Tax Lead, National Restaurant Industry Group, BDO
Ron Reed, Tax Managing Director, BDO
Tax issues often arise from issues originating in the financial side of a company. This session, updated for 2022, provides tips and tricks to help you recognize tax issues most frequently seen in the restaurant industry, address them, and alert your company's tax peers.
Presented by:
4:15 - 5:15 p.m.
Operator Roundtable Session
Operators will discuss issues involving senior, middle and entry level personnel.
JOINT SESSION
5:30 p.m.
Bus Pickup at the Renaissance Hotel for Group Outing at Topgolf
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Dinner & Drinks Outing at Topgolf, 8787 Park Lane, Dallas
Join your peers for dinner & drinks at Topgolf! Topgolf has made socializing a sport through a blend of technology and entertainment – and that’s just the game! If you journey through the venue on any given day, you’ll find a place buzzing with energy. There’s no pressure to have a good golf swing or score a lot of points. It’s all about everyone having fun.
Sponsored by:
Thursday, July 28
JOINT SESSION
8:30 - 9:30 a.m.
Registration & Breakfast
9:30 - 10:30 a.m.
Workforce Discussion: Attracting and Retaining Corporate and Finance Professionals
Speakers:
Danielle Gantt, Director, Human Resources, Pappas Restaurants, Inc.
Radhika Papandreou, Managing Partner, Korn Ferry
Unemployment hit its lowest rate in decades in the first half of the year and competition is fierce. In this session we will discuss how corporate and finance department jobs are transforming and how hiring is enhanced when finance department professionals' partner with HR executives and external consultants to shape engaging employment propositions to qualified candidates.
10:30 – 10:45 a.m.
Networking Break
INTERNAL AUDIT TRACK
10:45 - 11:45 a.m.
Leadership & Ethics
Speakers:
James (Jimmy) Oh, Member of the Firm, Epstein Becker Green
For more than a year, restaurants have been duly tested by ethical challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, as the world progresses and the impacts of the pandemic, and companies' responses to it evolve, the ethics challenges companies will face are far from over and in fact may intensify. Leaders, including in-house legal teams and internal auditors, will face difficult ethical dilemmas surrounding conflicts, misconduct, competence, and wellness that have emerged as restaurant business models continue to transition. By connecting ethical principles to corporate goals, companies will be prepared to navigate these ethical issues, while strengthening relationships with their constituents. For discussion will be evolving pandemic and post-pandemic ethical dilemmas and provide a framework to use to spot, issue and approach these difficult situations.
11:45 -12:45 p.m.
Lunch
12:45 - 1:45 p.m.
Leadership & Ethics (continued)
1:45 - 2:45 p.m.
Restaurant Audit Best Practices
Moderator: Kate Sawyer, Manager, Internal Audit, The Cheesecake Factory
This interactive discussion, led by Kate Sawyer, will give you a look inside a restaurant location audit. Sawyer will review The Cheesecake Factory's restaurant audit processes and procedures from start to finish. From tip reporting to cooling logs, attendees can get an inside glimpse into this road warriors' daily life.
2:45 - 3:00 p.m.
Networking Break
FINANCE TRACK
10:45 - 11:45 a.m.
Lease Accounting Challenges
Speaker: Lisa Kaestle, Director, Accounting Advisory Services, Grant Thornton
This session wil cover an ASC 842 update, with particular focus on areas that challenge clients during the process. You'll walk away being able to recognize some of the more common adoption challenges, understanding key items auditors will focus on, and highlighting tips and tricks for becoming compliant.
TAX TRACK
10:45 - 11:45 a.m.
SALT Update
Speakers:
Tim Dalton, Partner, PwC
Jeff Lemmons, Partner, State & Local Tax Practice, PwC
The SALT session will cover general updates in the income/franchise and sales/use tax areas around tax reform and new legislation. The session will also include a discussion of industry trends and our experiences in dealing with state taxing authorities for our clients under audit.
TAX TRACK and FINANCE TRACK
11:45 - 12:45 p.m.
Lunch
12:45 - 1:45 p.m.
Tip Reporting in a Post-Pandemic World
Speakers:
Marianna Dyson, Senior Of Counsel, Covington & Buring LLP
Michael Chittenden, Of Counsel, Covington & Burling LLP
Strained workforces and staffing issues have led many restaurants to consider new avenues for increasing front-of-house job satisfaction. As part of those efforts, a number of restaurants have begun to move toward a service charge model or included gratuities to increase customer tip rates, particularly in tourist areas. Unlike the past, these efforts often include small parties. Coupled with increased tipping practices on carryout and quick serve these changes can have real consequencs. This session will provide a brief overview of the tax rules governing tips with a focus on the rules for distinguishing between tips and services charges and the consequences of that distinction.
1:45 - 2:45 p.m.
Payroll Tax & Remote Work
Speakers:
Marianna Dyson, Senior Of Counsel, Covington & Buring LLP
Michael Chittenden, Of Counsel, Covington & Burling LLP
Do you find your human resources team constantly searching for new ways to reward employees and decrease turnover as the country moves beyond COVID-19? As companies struggle to keep employees happy, the renewed focus on fringe benefits creates increasing opportunities for unforeseen payroll tax liabilities. This has extended toward "creative" approaches to shift meals, enhanced employees discounts, increased "gifting", and other programs designed to reward employees. This session will discuss the payroll tax rules governing those fringe benefits as well as payroll tax issues arising from increased remote work.
2:45 - 3:00 p.m.
Networking Break
JOINT SESSION
3:00 – 3:50 p.m.
CFO Panel
Moderator: Mike Gottlieb, Assurance Partner, Global Leader Restaurant Services, Ernst & Young
Panelists:
Laurie Lawhorne, CFO, Mendocino Farms
Eric Swanson, CFO & Treasurer, Pappas Restaurants, Inc.
Straight from those in the know, CFOs from chains and multi-units in a variety of segments share the challenges taking up most of their time and the solutions they’re finding. Navigating taxes, tax credits and loan forgiveness, handling the impact of inflation and supply chain on food costs and menu prices, and setting wages and benefits needed to retain employees are all on the table.
3:50 p.m.
Closing Remarks
Finance, Tax & Audit Expert Exchange Steering Committee
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