If you run multi-unit operations, not every session on the QSR Evolution agenda is worth your time. Here’s where an operator focused on store-level performance, labor, and franchise growth should spend their three days.
Independent guide by StoreShield · Not affiliated with QSR Evolution or WTWH Media.QSR Evolution runs seven parallel breakout tracks plus main-stage keynotes. With one registration covering both the QSR Evolution and FSR NextGen programs, you can move freely between them. For an ops leader, five moments stand out — see the full agenda for exact times.
The two data dropsThursday
The Intouch Insight drive-thru study reveal (Thu 8:45 AM) and Datassential’s State of the Industry read (Thu 2:30 PM) are the sessions that put hard numbers on execution and industry-wide performance — the context every operator needs before the breakouts.
Track 1 · Tech Check & Innovation CentralAll days
If you’re evaluating tools that touch store operations — AI, loyalty, guest data — this track separates the buzzwords from what actually moves the needle. Sessions like “Do You Really Know Your Guests?” map directly to store-level customer signal.
Track 2 · The Labor and Culture ReportAll days
Labor is still the single biggest lever on whether a store thrives. “Building Teams and Investing in Talent” and the front-line culture sessions speak straight to the operators managing variance across a network.
Track 4 · Take the Lead (CEO to CEO)All days
The “CEO to CEO: Behind the Counter” fireside format — e.g. Troy Hooper and Jason Morgan — is where operators talk candidly about what’s actually working across their fleets, not the polished keynote version.
Track 5 · Franchising and the Road to GrowthAll days
If your growth question is “how do we scale without the bottom quartile dragging comps,” this is the room — franchising, corporate development, and building a portfolio the right way.
The CEO keynotesWed & Thu
Tom Curtis (Burger King), Lisa Ingram (White Castle), Rob Lynch (Shake Shack), and Jerry Morgan (Texas Roadhouse) each run large, execution-heavy networks. Worth attending for how they talk about consistency at scale.
The one thread connecting them
Across the data drops, the labor track, and the CEO fireside chats, the same theme keeps surfacing: the money in a multi-unit network leaks from the stores you aren’t watching. The keynotes celebrate growth and new menu items; the operators in the breakouts talk about consistency, retention, and the bottom quartile. If that’s your world, weight your schedule toward tracks 1, 2, 4, and 5 — and the two Thursday data sessions.
Want a session recommendation for a specific priority — labor, tech, franchising? Ask the conference assistant.
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