Bridging the Gap to Access in the Hospitality Industry
Summit Date: March 2024
Location: 600 Congress Ave, 17th Floor, Austin, TX 78701
Event overview
Equity Eats, our second annual summit by inKind, is an invigorating two-day event in Austin, where innovation meets hospitality. We delve into the realms of culture, creativity, and culinary arts, focusing on progressive solutions for the hospitality sector.
We invite you to join this exclusive gathering of restaurant operators, industry giants, and innovators. Immerse yourself in a blend of interactive workshops, live discussions, and unique experiences, all aimed at confronting the critical challenges facing restaurants and small operators
We invite you to join this exclusive gathering of restaurant operators, industry giants, and innovators. Immerse yourself in a blend of interactive workshops, live discussions, and unique experiences, all aimed at confronting the critical challenges facing restaurants and small operators
RSVP
Kindly let us know if you will attend our 2024 Summit.
2023 Equity Eats Summit Agenda
Explore the topics of our previous summit by viewing the detailed program schedule from last year's event
2023 Featured Guests
- Anna TauzinPresident of Les Dames d'Escoffier Austin ChapterAnna currently serves as President of Les Dames d'Escoffier, Austin Chapter, is Senior Director of Industry Relations and Community Affairs for ChowNow, and previously served as Chief Revenue and Innovation Officer for the Texas Restaurant Association. Tauzin is a frequent source for media and conferences and speaks on innovation and disruption in the restaurant space.
- Andy WangJournalist
Andy Wang has written regularly about restaurants and bars for publications including Food & Wine and Los Angeles Magazine. His work has also appeared in the New York Times, New York Magazine, Zagat Stories, Condé Nast Traveler, Epicurious, Yahoo Travel, Observer, Taste, Ocean Drive and many other publications. - Chandler B. StoudVP B2B Marketing, Resy American Express Global Dining NetworkChandler Bewkes Stroud is Vice President and Head of B2B Marketing at Resy, American Express Global Dining Network. Stroud is a B2B leader with a B2C-informed perspective who infuses the energy and emotion of a consumer-centric approach into B2B communications.
- Cleophus "Chef Ophus" HethingtonChef, Ebí Chop BarA Miami native, Cleophus Hethington served in the Navy. In 2022, Hethington was a JBF finalist for Emerging Chef. Hethington worked at acclaimed restaurants across the United States, as well as in Italy, before starting Ębí Chop Bar, a pop-up dinner series celebrating the foodways of the African diaspora.
- D. Brandon WalkerChef & Owner, The Art Room, LAD. Brandon Walker is the Chef and Owner of The Art Room, LA. His last ventures include Los Angeles concepts, The MV Grab & Go as well as the high-end restaurant called The Mar Vista. Walker has also appeared on Food Network's Chopped as a contestant and champion.
- Dawn SloanChef & Owner, Soul Taco
Dawn Sloan is the chef and owner of Soul Taco Houston, a community-focused food truck in Houston, Texas. Chef Sloan studied, learned, and practiced her skill set in Michelin Star restaurants before setting out on her own to establish Soul Taco. There, Sloan focuses on bringing community members together and creating a space for female chefs and chefs of color to come, train, and learn how to hold their own in a professional kitchen setting. - Dina SamsonCo-founder, RE:Her
Dina Samson is the Co-founder and owner of Rossoblu and Superfine Pizza in Los Angeles. Before joining the restaurant industry, Dina
developed her business acumen by spending years in the financial world as an investment banker and Chief of Staff to several CEOs and celebrity entrepreneurs. Samson is a James Beard Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership and C200 Champion WinLab fellow as well as on the advisory boards of LA Tourism, DEI Committee, Dine LA Committee, and James Beard WEL Committee. - Eric SeeChef & Owner, Ursula
Eric See is a James Beard nominated chef and owner of Ursula in Brooklyn, which hosts a dinner series providing a safe space for queer chefs. See is committed to uplifting the LGBTQIA+ community and creating a space to highlight queer voices. - Fariyal AbdullahiChef De Cuisine, Hav & Mar
Fariyal Abdullahi is Chef De Cuisine at Hav and Mar in New York City and has worked at top restaurants across the globe, including the three-Michelin-star eatery, Noma. Abdullahi was part of Food Network's 2023 Hot List, and served as a judge on Chopped, and her dishes have been featured in spaces such as the Met Gala and Vogue. - Jason HimberCEO of Mina Group
Jason Himber is CEO of Mina Group, a San Francisco-based restaurant management company, founded by James Beard Award-winning Chef Michael Mina. Himber has nearly two decades of experience growing companies across the restaurant and hospitality industries and held key leadership positions at Yum! Brands, CMG Companies, Wells Fargo, and GE Capital. - Rob WilderCo-Founder, José Andres Restaurant GroupRob Wilder is the Co-Founder of José Andres Restaurant Group, the innovative management company behind 40 restaurants, from Michelin Star to everyday casual in seven North American cities, plus Dubai. Wilder also owns José Andres Media and currently serves as the Co-Founder and Chairman of World Central Kitchen, Founder of FoodTech Angels, and Co-Founder of WineGame.
- Téa IvanovicCo-Founder & COO at Immigrant FoodRecently awarded Forbes 30 Under 30 - Food & Drink (2023), Téa's restaurant group Immigrant Food has grown to three locations in the DC area, despite opening its first restaurant three months before the pandemic. More than 50% of Immigrant Food's staff are women. Their "gastroadvocacy" work includes a partnership with five nonprofits, a weekly Engagement Menu which provides recommendations for guests and followers to support immigrants, and a monthly digital magazine on immigration called "The Think Table."
About inKind
Since 2018, inKind has provided restaurants with an innovative funding tool that has proven to be a game changer in how we look at financing and sustaining independent fine dining and restaurant concepts and chains.
Founded by a group of restaurateurs led by Johann Moonesinghe, inKind has successfully funded more than 600 restaurants with its out-of-the-box financing model that provides non-dilutive funding in return for dining credit at the businesses instead of equity, effectively delivering the lowest cost of capital and driving new, loyal, high-spending guests through restaurant doors.
Founded by a group of restaurateurs led by Johann Moonesinghe, inKind has successfully funded more than 600 restaurants with its out-of-the-box financing model that provides non-dilutive funding in return for dining credit at the businesses instead of equity, effectively delivering the lowest cost of capital and driving new, loyal, high-spending guests through restaurant doors.
1,250+
Restaurants funded across the U.S.
$120MM
In capital deployed to restaurant groups and independent operators
700,000+
Guests on the inKind app and counting.
Top 5 Cities
New York City
Washington, DC
Los Angeles
San Francisco
Chicago
Washington, DC
Los Angeles
San Francisco
Chicago
Our ESG Goals:
To further inKind's commitment to help restaurants succeed, the company is launching an ESG effort to provide $250 million in funding to under-represented, and under-served restaurant operators by 2025.
This commitment will help ensure that minority-owned and underrepresented businesses, who traditionally face significant hurdles to obtain the funding necessary to start or expand their businesses, have access to much needed capital that will help create a level playing field to compete and thrive in a competitive marketplace.
In addition to providing much needed funding, to enhance this initiative inKind is also establishing the Restaurant Owners Alliance to support minority owned businesses by providing resources like training, marketing support, and mentorship. These efforts are designed to create a support structure that increases the likelihood these restaurants experience sustained success.
In addition to providing much needed funding, to enhance this initiative inKind is also establishing the Restaurant Owners Alliance to support minority owned businesses by providing resources like training, marketing support, and mentorship. These efforts are designed to create a support structure that increases the likelihood these restaurants experience sustained success.
Location
inKind Headquarters
600 Congress Ave, 17th Floor, Austin, TX 78701
To get to inKind HQ, enter 600 Congress and take the elevators to the 17th floor.
600 Congress Ave, 17th Floor, Austin, TX 78701
To get to inKind HQ, enter 600 Congress and take the elevators to the 17th floor.
Contact
RSVP to:
inkind@wagstaffmktg.com
inkind@wagstaffmktg.com