Increasing your Sales in the Restaurant World
This program will feature Alan Powell, the founder and Operations Manager at Nashville Grown, and Chef Colin Shane from the renowned restaurant Audrey, founded by Sean Brock. The presentation, hosted at Audrey, will feature an in-depth discussion on restaurant sales strategies and include delicious snacks.
Topics covered will include:
Making your initial restaurant contact for better outcomes.
Weighing the pros and cons of handling deliveries yourself versus partnering with a third party like Nashville Grown.
How to pack foods for delivery to maintain quality.
Maintaining brand integrity through packaging—key differences between retail and wholesale packaging.
Strategies to maintain chef relationships when you are not the one delivering your product.
Join us for expert insights, valuable networking, and, of course, delicious bites to enjoy!
*Registration Required
About the Speaker:
Alan Powell, Operations Director Nashville Grown
Alan Powell is the founder and driving force behind Nashville Grown, a nonprofit dedicated to connecting local farms with Nashville’s top chefs and restaurants. A true expert in local food sourcing, Alan manages the often headache-inducing logistics of delivering fresh farm produce to some of the city’s most renowned dining establishments.
Before launching Nashville Grown, Alan spent six years managing the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program at Long Hungry Creek Farm, home of the legendary "Barefoot Farmer,” Jeff Poppen. Recognizing an opportunity to streamline local farm-to-restaurant distribution, he founded Nashville Grown as a nonprofit, allowing the system to grow sustainably. Today, over 65 farms within a 100-mile radius of Nashville have a stronger foothold in the restaurant industry—business they might otherwise lose to large distributors and imported produce.
Beyond his work in food distribution, Alan is also a trained wild food forager, further deepening his connection to the land and local food systems.