About Us
The International Food and Beverage Technology Association (IFBTA) is a nonprofit trade association that promotes the use of technology within the global food and beverage industries with a specific focus on education, networking, certification, standards, research, and events, while aligning with other industry associations and groups in support of their technology related initiatives.
The IFBTA furthers the common business interests of the information technology industry by promoting the utilization of technology within all segments of the global food and beverage industry, including restaurant/foodservice, hospitality/lodging, gaming, onsite, beer/wine/spirits, retailing, c-stores, catering, travel and other related segments of the food and beverage industry.
Governed by a board of top-level food and beverage IT executives, the IFBTA incorporates operator and supplier participation and input to promote technology education, networking, and solutions. The IFBTA addresses all areas of technology used in and enabling the food and beverage industries, including:
- Infrastructure
- Front of House
- Back of House
- Equipment
- Food
- Services
- And More…
Leadership
Don Zimmerman is currently the CIO for Landry’s organization based in Houston Texas. In this role he and his team are responsible for all of the technology deployed by the company.
Vikram Badhwar is an IT executive with over 15 years of experience leading transformation programs for some of the world’s largest hospitality brands.
Kevin brings over 20 years of leadership experience, building teams and directing projects. He is a highly strategic individual who has a knack for seeing the big picture, and his highly diverse background, along with his creative and collaborative approach to business and relationships, fits well in just about any culture.
As a seasoned professional with over 26 years of technology hospitality experience, Ted is known for a client-centric approach to the business by developing high-performing business relationships that consistently provide digital experiences to business agendas to drive profitable growth and enhance business margin.
Pankaj Patra is the Chief Digital & Technology Officer at Raising Cane's. Prior to Raising Cane's, Pankaj served as CTO of Denny's and prior to that, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Brinker International, Inc., where he oversaw information technology and data security for each brand.
Zerrick Pearson is the Chief Information Officer for Five Guys Enterprises, L.L.C., a company that operates more than 1350 franchised or company-operated restaurants domestically and internationally. Zerrick is responsible for developing and implementing information technology initiatives across the Enterprise.
Yvette Vincent, Marriott Continent IT Leader for the US & Canada, is responsible for providing strategic guidance and driving key technology-enabled initiatives for the region.
Lou is an Information Technology Executive with over 35 years of experience in creating shareholder value and operational effectiveness through business process reengineering, IT and business alignment, and technology implementation.
The IFBTA was launched at FSTEC (Foodservice Technology Conference and Showcase) 2014 which was founded by Rob in 1996, and is a non-profit professional association promoting and advancing technology and innovation for the global food and beverage industries.
Michael L. Kasavana, Ph.D., is the Emeritus NAMA Endowed Professor in Hospitality Business, The School of Hospitality Business at Michigan State University having retired from MSU after nearly four decades of teaching and research.
Lauren Selman is the Vice President of Operations for the International Food and Beverage Technology Association (IFBTA) with experience in communications and social media marketing.