California Restaurant Show 2026 Exhibitor List

Dale Willerton is The Lease Coach, America's #1 Lease Consultant for tenants. Formerly a shopping center manager, Willerton switched to exclusively helping tenants over 25 years ago. Willerton has successfully negotiated and coached on over 2000 lease projects for both independent and franchise tenants across North America. As an industry insider, Willerton wrote Negotiating Commercial Leases & Renewals FOR DUMMIES for tenants and frequently speaks at major restaurant and franchise shows across the country.

Brian P. Connors is a visionary leader and industry innovator with over two decades of expertise in hospitality, higher education, and business development. As Principal Managing Partner of Connors Davis Hospitality, LLC, Brian has been instrumental in developing transformative strategies and forging strategic partnerships with premier hospitality and beverage brands worldwide. His consulting portfolio includes high-impact projects for global corporations such as Bacardi North America, Royal Caribbean International, and Sandals Resorts International. Brian is the Managing Partner and a lead facilitator for Accelerating Leaders, that collaborates with industry and academia to design cutting-edge solutions for operational training, leadership development, and educational resources. He is also an Advisory Board Member for growth and partnerships for Cecilia.ai. the world’s first interactive bartender utilizing artificial intelligence. In 2023 & 2024 Brian was honored as one of the Most Influential Educators in Global Hospitality by The International Hospitality Institute. He was also invited to be a TEDx speaker in 2023 and he shared his story called "Be Curious & Take Risks".

Alison Anne worked her way from Hostess/Busser at a small family-owned restaurant in her hometown to AGM & Events Director at one of Washington, DC's largest sports bars during her 18 year career, in addition to being credentialed with the International Coaching Federation as a Professional Certified Coach. When she noticed the high levels of burnout, dissatisfaction, and turnover plaguing the industry, she discovered she had a knack for drilling down into the heart of what makes restaurants - and restaurant people - tick. Now, her love for the industry has her focusing on employee support and well-being, from the GM to the dishwasher, and working with her clients to connect their vision and growth initiatives to the needs of their staff, while making sure that they are equipped with the systems to do something about it.

Darren S. Denington, CFBE has been in the hospitality industry for over 41 years. With a degree in Food & Beverage Management and being a Certified Food & Beverage Executive, he understands the importance education plays in the hospitality industry. Darren has an extensive background in the restaurant industry, including Owner, Executive Chef, Food & Beverage Director, District Manager and General Manager. His experience also includes an extensive background in banquets and catering. His understanding of management, operations and start up has taken him across the country to speak to companies seeking his expertise. Darren has presented his expertise at over a three hundred seminars including most of the nations most popular tradeshows. During the past twenty six years, Darren has owned and operated a secret shopping, restaurant coaching and hospitality team training company, Service With Style. He has focused on guest services and employee training, team building while helping over a thousand establishments nationwide to understand their guests’ perspective. He works extremely closely with operators helping them directly to implement the right systems he improve the establishments.

Douglas Marschke is a multifaceted entrepreneur with a diverse background spanning engineering, technology, and culinary ventures. Graduating from the University of Michigan with a degree in Electrical Engineering, Doug embarked on a remarkable career journey. His professional odyssey began at Sprint, where he honed his skills as a systems engineer before transitioning to Juniper Networks. At Juniper, Doug held various roles including Technical Trainer, POC Engineer, and Course Developer. His expertise led him to achieve prestigious certifications such as JNCIE-SP and JNCIE-ENT, and he authored several certification exams and acclaimed books, notably "JUNOS Enterprise Routing" and "JUNOS Enterprise Switching." Doug's entrepreneurial spirit led him to establish Proteus Networks and SDN Essentials, pioneering ventures in the realm of Software Defined Networking (SDN). These companies saw successful exits through both private and public transactions, solidifying Doug's reputation as a visionary leader in the tech industry. As a sought-after speaker, he traversed the globe, sharing insights on SDN and its transformative impact on software and AI. Transitioning into the culinary world, Doug ventured into restaurant ownership, founding a portfolio of successful establishments including Underdogs Too, Underdogs Cantina, Underdogs Tres, Tacko, North Beach Cantina, and Todos. His ventures thrive under his guidance, reflecting his knack for innovation and business acumen. In addition to his tech and culinary pursuits, Doug has made significant strides in the entertainment industry, running a film company and producing feature-length films available for streaming online. With over 12 companies under his belt, Doug brings a wealth of experience in raising private equity, institutional financing, and business development.