Burger King President Tom Curtis to Keynote QSR Evolution Conference

Tom Curtis, U.S. and Canada president of Burger King, will serve as the opening keynote for September’s QSR Evolution Conference.

Curtis joins a keynote lineup that includes Chick-fil-A president Susannah Frost, White Castle CEO Lisa Ingram, Shake Shack CEO Rob Lynch, Texas Roadhouse CEO Jerry Morgan, and a special presentation from author and speaker Scott Greenberg.

The QSR Evolution Conference takes place from September 8–10 at Atlanta’s Hyatt Regency hotel. Registration is open here and the full agenda can be found here.

Curtis’ conversation will be at 9 a.m. on September 9.

Burger King continues to garner headlines across the industry as its Reclaim the Flame turnaround plan gains momentum. The brand’s multi-year comeback, which launched in September 2022, has translated to improvements across the business. Burger King’s Q1 same-store sales rose 5.8 percent in the U.S. and outperformed the burger QSR segment by more than 5 percentage points.

Focused on operations, franchisee alignment, and brand reinvestment—from marketing to updated assets—Burger King has worked to restore consistency, guest experience, and place diners at the heart of its refreshed voice.

Curtis, who spent two decades as a Domino’s franchisee before shifting into corporate (he was at the category giant for 35 years), has led Burger King’s for the past five. Curtis elevated to the president title in October 2021 after serving as COO for about a year-and-a-half.

He famously offered to chat with customers through a publicly released phone line earlier in the year, leading to personal conversations with more than 1,500 guests about what they value most in Burger King and where they thought it could improve.

The chain has responded with refreshed locations and technology, a focus on value and family activations, like SpongeBob and Star Wars, and customer-focused initiatives such as the Whopper By You campaign and, more recently, the first upgrades to its iconic sandwich in nearly a decade; all driven by responses from fans.

Curtis will share insights from Burger King’s journey and how the chain plans to evolve into the future.

QSR Evolution 2026 is the first unified version of QSR magazine’s flagship conference. Launched four years ago, the full-service track NextGen Summit is joining QSR Evolution for one combined event that covers the entire industry and serves the needs of the operator and foodservice partner.

Content tracks this year include technology, leadership, labor, franchising, growth, F&B, and more. There are seven concurrent breakout sessions across two days following the welcome reception and keynote with Chick-fil-A on September 8.

Registration is available to operators of quick-service and full-service restaurants at a rate of $499. Late and onsite registration will be $599.