QSR Evolution Launches QSR AI Connect, Bringing Restaurant Leaders Together to Shape the Future of AI

Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming one of the most significant forces shaping the restaurant industry. From marketing and loyalty to operations, labor, guest experience, and enterprise decision-making, restaurant leaders are facing unprecedented opportunities to rethink how their businesses grow and operate.

To help restaurant executives move beyond experimentation and develop a practical path forward, the QSR Evolution Conference, run by Arrowfly and the teams behind QSR and FSR magazines, is launching QSR AI Connect, a new executive initiative designed to help leaders navigate the rapidly evolving AI landscape through education, collaboration, and practical application.

QSR AI Connect launch

Developed in partnership with NexChapter, QSR AI Connect will bring together restaurant executives, technology innovators, and industry experts to explore where artificial intelligence can create measurable business value while helping organizations build practical roadmaps for adoption.

“Artificial intelligence has become one of the defining conversations in hospitality,” says Danny Klein, VP editorial at Arrowfly’s Foodservice, Retail, and Hospitality group. “Restaurant leaders are no longer asking whether AI matters. They’re asking where to begin, what deserves investment, and how to lead their organizations through change. QSR AI Connect was created to answer those questions through practical discussion, executive collaboration, and real-world application.”

QSR AI Connect is designed around a simple belief: AI success isn’t determined by the technology an organization purchases. It’s determined by how effectively leaders connect business strategy, operational priorities, people, and technology to create meaningful outcomes.

Workshop details

The initiative launches this summer with a complimentary webinar, Turning AI Strategy into Real Restaurant Results, before continuing at QSR Evolution with its inaugural executive workshop, Leading Through the AI Era: An Executive Workshop for Restaurant Leaders, taking place on Tuesday, September 8, prior to the conference’s opening general session.

Unlike traditional conference sessions, the workshop is designed as an executive working session rather than a series of presentations. Participants will collaborate with peers, evaluate AI opportunities across their businesses, and work through structured exercises that translate emerging technologies into practical business strategies.

Throughout the afternoon, attendees will explore AI applications across key areas of the restaurant enterprise, including:

The workshop combines executive polling, industry examples, collaborative exercises, and facilitated discussion to help leaders distinguish between short-term opportunities and longer-term strategic investments. Participants will also assess their organization’s AI readiness and develop an Executive AI Roadmap focused on priorities for the next 12 to 36 months.

The session will be led by Art Sebastian, Founder & CEO of NexChapter. Sebastian advises retailers, restaurants, consumer brands, and technology companies on growth strategy, marketing, loyalty, retail media, digital commerce, and AI.

“Every restaurant executive is asking some version of the same question,” Sebastian says. “‘Where should we invest, and how do we make sure we’re solving the right problems?’ AI isn’t simply another technology initiative. It’s becoming a leadership imperative. The organizations that succeed won’t be the ones adopting the most AI. They’ll be the ones making the smartest decisions about where AI creates value for guests, employees, and the business.”

To maximize collaboration, attendance at the executive workshop will be intentionally limited. Rather than traditional product presentations, a curated group of strategic technology partners will participate as contributors to the discussion, bringing practical expertise while keeping the focus squarely on business outcomes.

Every workshop participant will receive an Executive AI Workbook and practical planning tools designed to help leadership teams prioritize investments and accelerate execution.

The webinar will introduce the QSR AI Connect framework and explore practical AI strategies, emerging use cases, and executive considerations for restaurant organizations preparing for the next era of innovation.

Following the webinar, participants are invited to continue the conversation in person at QSR AI Connect during QSR Evolution, September 8–10.