News

Restaurant conference to address 'thawing' credit freeze

September 14, 2010

More than 1,500 restaurant owners, operators and financial service executives are expected to attend an upcoming event that seeks to unearth capital for restaurant owners and operators. The Restaurant Finance Monitor will provide a forum for owners and operators of leading restaurant companies to meet with the nation's top restaurant lenders at the 21st annual Restaurant Finance & Development Conference, which will be held in Las Vegas from November 8-10, 2010, at the Bellagio Hotel.

Sponsors of the conference include GE Capital, Wells Fargo, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, The CIT Group, Jefferies & Company, CapitalSpring, RBS Citizens, Mercantile Capital Corporation and First Franchise Capital, as well as many others. 

"This year's conference is particularly important for growing restaurant chains," said Mary Jo Lasron, publisher of Franchise Times magazine and editor of the Restaurant Finance Monitor, an industry newsletter that focuses on financing restaurants.

"For the first time since the beginning of the economic downturn, banks and other financial institutions have indicated that the credit freeze is thawing and they are beginning to hunt for new deals once again. And, investors still continue to eye the restaurant space for acquisitions," Larson said. 

Workshop topics include alternative financing ideas for growing restaurant companies, opportunities in a distressed commercial real estate market, restaurant valuation trends, the restaurant merger and acquisition environment, private equity investing and the impact of health care reform on the industry.

Keynote speakers also will give their take on the economy and the restaurant space. Speakers include:

• David Rosenberg of Gluskin Sheff;
• Michael Barone, a senior fellow of the American Enterprise Institute and frequent political contributor to Fox News;
• Dr. Victor Calanog, PhD, director of research at Reis Inc.;
• Jane Grote Abell, CEO of Donato's Pizza; and 
• Pat Williams, senior vice president of the Orlando Magic