Restaurant Finance Monitor

Had a fantastic time at the Restaurant Finance & Development Conference hosted by Restaurant Finance Monitor. The event was a great opportunity to connect, strategize, and learn from some of the most influential leaders in the industry. It’s always inspiring to exchange ideas with top-tier operators, private equity groups, and franchisors. As we wrap up the final big event of the year, it’s clear that we’re all now focused on our next steps, with planning and strategizing for 2025 in full swing. Looking forward to continuing these conversations and collaborating with everyone in the new year! #restaurantfranchising #businessgrowth #industryleaders #franchise #rfdc

What an incredible start to the week at #RFDC2024 put on by Restaurant Finance Monitor 🍴 The energy ⚡️ was unreal at this incredible Restaurant Finance & Development conference in #LasVegas. With a SOLD OUT show of almost 4,000+ attendees this was one for the history books! It is incredible to hear and learn from some of the top restaurant owners/operators around the globe. In almost every single one of the break out session I attending this week, #RealEstate growth and expansion was mentioned at least once! The #Resatraunt Real Estate market is looking down the barrel of some of the lowest historic vacancy rates we have seen in a long time. Most active markets hovering around 4%! That being said, our team is driving success through our relationships with landlords, cities, architects, GC’s, etc. in order to find the best real estate possible for our savvy restauranteurs 👨🍳 Looking forward to the big things ahead for the Restaurant industry in 2025! 🎇 #tenantrep #tenantrepresentation #landlordrep #landlordrepresentation #cre #commercialrealestate #restaurantleasing #retailleasing #reit #landlord #development #growth #qsr #drivethru #expansion

It was a great few days in Las Vegas at RFDC. Positive momentum rolling into 2025. Below are my key takeaways: M&A: ◾ There continues to be a flight to quality and those deals continue to trade at a premium. ◾ There is an excess supply of deals - good time to be a buyer. ◾ There is a limited window for companies to buy/sell - Need to seize the opportunity. ◾ Franchisee buybacks - efficient way to deploy capital in lieu of organic corporate growth. ◾ When assessing an acquisition opportunity, understand the true whitespace that comes with it. Real Estate Development: ◾ Regional banks, local banks and credit unions remain tight and conservative. Lower LTVs, more stringent guarantees, and requiring new/incremental deposits.   ◾ Many brands are priced out of traditional ground up development. Reverse build to suits are a viable option - 100% financing for tenants, but need to ensure rent/sales ratio is healthy. ◾ Land prices continue to increase, and construction costs have not seen a decline. ◾ Asset light approach - franchisors - Corporate may be slow to build more units but they're encouraging franchisees to spend more of their own $ for new unit growth and remodels. ◾ The best sites are wanted by all - better have a good broker, be quick to act, and be willing to "pay up". Market Conditions: ◾ Significant optimism for 2025 - the back half of 2024 has seen an uptick which will continue to materialize in 25'.  ◾ Price competition - Some brands are racing to the bottom on pricing and it's not sustainable or supported by input costs. ◾ Gen Z and Millennials are difficult to understand. Legacy brands will need to learn how to appeal to them.  ◾ Federal Reserve - Per BoA, each 25bps reduction in the Federal Funds Rate, translates to only 1-2bps reduction for their clients tied to SOFR. #LTPX #Xpand #RFDC

Yesterday, Rob joined Oliver Ostertag, Josh Halpern & moderator Adam Wahlberg to discuss the trend of Consolidation and Integration: Streamlining Your Tech Stack for Future Growth at #RFDC2024. With rising costs and labor shortages, restaurants are looking to streamline their tech stacks without losing key features. The panel discussed how brands are consolidating and integrating technology to cut costs, improve efficiency, and meet evolving consumer expectations. Restaurant Finance Monitor Food On Demand #techstack #restauranttech #foodandbeverage

RFDC 2024 was one for the books! Great people. Great partners. Great weather. Great brands. Great meetings. Great panels. (Special shout-out to our favorite panelists Andrew K. Smith + Shauna K. Smith. 😉) And, as always, a great host: Restaurant Finance Monitor. Thank you to everyone who took the time to dish with the Savory team these last couple days! We look forward to continuing our conversations over the coming days and months. 🤝 #rfdc #restaurantfinance #restaurantindustry

Viva Las Vegas! RFDC never disappoints. It's the premier networking conference for industry leaders. John Hamburger and his team do an extraordinary job lining up excellent speakers and meaningful general and breakout sessions. There were many highlights this year, including a great panel with founders Alex Sloane and Matt Perelman from our private equity partner Garnett Station Partners. Several great networking events, including Clearpath’s 'Mix and Mingle' where Helen Lao and her team provided opportunities for familiar and new leaders to exchange ideas and best practices. I loved hearing from innovative brands regarding what’s happening and what’s coming. Biggest take away: Artificial Intelligence is not just a buzz word from a Sci-Fi movie anymore. It’s here to stay and help us be more efficient and help free up our people to focus on creating extraordinary experiences through hospitality. Big shout out and thank you to the RFDC team for another great conference. See ya next year! Restaurant Finance Monitor Firebirds Wood Fired Grill #Firebirds #RFDC #Growth #Hospitality

This afternoon, Laura Michaels moderated a discussion with Mark Patricof and Malcolm Jenkins, former NFL player and 2-time Super Bowl champion, as the two shared insights on converting athlete endorsements into ownership opportunities. #RFDC

According to Danilo Gargiulo's research, GLP-1 users report visiting fast food restaurants less frequently, regardless of brand category. Users said they’re visiting burger joints about 45 percent less often. Across the board, restaurant visits are down nearly 28 percent among customers on these medications. #RFDC2024 Restaurant Finance Monitor https://lnkd.in/grudEDxj

We're wrapping up an amazing morning! Matthew Perelman and Alex Sloane of Garnett Station Partners joined John Hamburger on stage, sharing lessons from building a $2.5 billion investment empire from humble beginnings with 23 Burger Kings. Following, we welcomed to the stage Kate Jaspon in conversation with Dana Zukofsky. Kate shared her journey guiding Dunkin' financially before and during Inspire Brands' acquisition, and of course came to the stage with some Dunkin' to sip on. What a great way to start day 2! #RFDC