Casey's Marketing Chief to Keynote 2023 Convenience Foodservice Exchange

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Convenience Store News will host its 2023 Convenience Foodservice Exchange (CFX) event in Nashville on May 4-5 at the Hilton Nashville Downtown hotel.

Like last year's highly successful event held in Savannah, Ga., the 2023 CFX will feature presentations and experiences designed to bring convenience foodservice retailers and their supplier partners together to maximize opportunities, solve problems and prepare for future growth. The event also will provide attendees a taste of the food culture in another city known for its unique regional fare, as well as a chance to visit innovative local retailers.

The theme of this year's event is "Making Foodservice the Centerpiece of Your Convenience Store Business."

Foodservice is the centerpiece — the focal point — of a modern convenience store. Successful convenience store operators have made foodservice the crown jewel of their business. 

Casey's General Stores Inc. is one of those operators that has elevated foodservice to center stage. Kicking off this year's CFX conference will be Tom Brennan, chief merchandising officer at Ankeny, Iowa-based Casey's, which operates more 2,400 c-stores in 16 states.  

Brennan is responsible for reinventing the guest experience in stores and for the brand. He joined Casey's from CKE Restaurants Holdings Inc., parent company of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's, where he was chief operating officer for more than 3,000 restaurants across the United States. Prior to that, he spent 11 years at 7-Eleven Inc. in a variety of leadership roles. 

Brennan will be joined on the CFX agenda by the usual strong roster of innovative retail executives and expert consultants for two days of education, collaboration, networking, problem-solving, unique food experiences and store tours designed to help elevate convenience foodservice sales and profits.

Among the topics to be covered are:

• How to deal with rising food costs, inflation and shrinking margins;
• Using technology to build sales and cut costs in foodservice;
• Building and maintaining a foodservice culture in your stores;
• Fueling your foodservice program with dispensed beverages;
• How commissaries, ghost kitchens and electric vehicle chargers will impact convenience foodservice in the year ahead;
• And more.

As in previous years, CFX 2023 will include the presentation of CSNews' annual Foodservice Innovators Awards. Previous winners have included Casey's, Wawa Inc., Kwik Trip Inc., TXB, Rutter's and many other food-forward c-store chains.

Additionally, the eighth-annual conference will include the highly-praised Power Hour of one-on-one business meetings among attendees, and a guided food and retail tour exploring Music City's most delicious and innovative restaurants, food shops and markets.

Attendance is by invitation only. Convenience store retailers may request an invite from CSNews Editorial Director Emeritus Don Longo at [email protected].

Sponsorships are available for suppliers, wholesalers and solution providers. For more information on sponsorship opportunities, contact CSNews Vice President and Brand Director Paula Lashinsky at [email protected] or (917) 446-4117.