FSTEC Event Insider 2026

Ben Leventhal

Marc Lore

CEO & Founder, Blackbird Labs

CEO & Founder, Wonder

The Resy and Eater founder has a history of bucking the status quo. He’s at it again with Blackbird, a high-tech loyalty platform for small restaurants that runs on the blockchain.

The ecommerce pioneer is out to disrupt the food chain with Wonder, a “mealtime platform” encompassing food halls, meal kits, delivery, and robotics.

Chris Main

Beth McCormick

CIO, Restaurant Brands International

CTO, CAVA

Main will be critical in shaping the tech portion of Burger King’s comeback effort, including the high-profile rollout of Patty, an AI assistant that lives in employees’ headsets.

McCormick has helped Cava transform its back-of-house into the Connected Kitchen, with digital displays, AI vision technology, and, in the future, automated makelines.

Justin Mennen

Hernan Mujica

CTO & CIO, Shake Shack

CTO, Texas Roadhouse

Mennen is behind Shake Shack’s new Project Catalyst, a compre - hensive tech strategy that includes a new POS and kitchen displays, AI, and its first loyalty program.

The nearly 15-year Texas Road- house veteran has helped evolve the chain’s tech infrastructure. A new digital kitchen system, for in - stance, has helped fuel a growing off-premises business.

Aman Narang

Mike Nettles

CEO & Co-founder, Toast

CTO, Zaxby’s

Narang leads the industry’s dominant POS company for independents and is now steering it upmarket and even into the drive-thru.

With stops at McDonald’s, Papa Johns, Panera Bread, and now the fast-growing Zaxbys, Nettles is regarded as one of the industry’s sharpest tech minds.

FSTEC 2026 | 29

Marc Lore Photography: Getty Images

Powered by