A variety of San Diego restaurateurs and industry professionals gathered for an “Accelerate” event hosted by What Now Media Group at Dorothy’s Wine Bar, located at 789 W Harbor Drive, Suite #122. The event provided a valuable opportunity for San Diego’s restaurant community to connect and share ideas on navigating the competitive market.
Dorothy’s Wine Bar hosted the free event on Wednesday, February 25, bringing together dozens of representatives from businesses featured on What Now San Diego. This included local restaurants and industry-leading experts from What Now Media Group’s network of Preferred Partners. Attendees networked while enjoying delicious bites and beverages before participating in a presentation focused on strategies for growing and succeeding in today’s competitive market.
The event was hosted by What Now CEO Caleb Spivak and featured a variety of notable restaurateurs and business owners. Joey Reams, the main contributor for What Now San Diego, also attended the event, greeting business owners as they entered and connecting with attendees throughout the evening. Attendees included local restaurant owners such as Luis Rivera and Tim Gastel-Wardell of Dorothy’s Wine Bar. Zeeshan Naqvi of Another Broken Egg Cafe attended, bringing experience from the popular breakfast-and-brunch franchise. Chris Dennis from Klatch Coffee joined to share insights from their specialty coffee brand. Alejandro Gomez and Alejandra Ruelas of Mi Pan Bakery discussed plans for their first brick-and-mortar location in Mission Gorge.
Additional attendees included Givino Rossini and Sarina Flores of Kettle On Coast, Traci Harris and Terry Roberts of Bruster’s Real Ice Cream, and Sean Patton and Ashley Patton of Jersey Mike’s Subs. Schmackary’s Cookies franchise, the first west-coast franchisee, brought three boxes of cookies for everyone to try, along with founder Zachary “Zach” Schmahl, adding a sweet touch to the evening. Other notable attendees included James “Jimmy” Terwilliger of Pizza Cassette and Zachary Wishengrad of The Stand.
Representatives from several of What Now Media Group’s Preferred Partners attended to offer guidance and support. Jessica Nies-Burridge and Laura Johnson of Auris discussed HR and payroll strategies for restaurant operators. Michael Raspa of Restaurant Technologies, Inc., presented solutions for automated cooking oil management. From Global Payments, Chelsea Lara and Jessica Dvorkin shared insights on POS technology to streamline operations and improve customer experiences. Joy Zane of Liquid Environmental Solutions Corporation provided guidance on grease trap management, while Mark Keller and Gene LeClair from Prudential Overall Supply offered solutions for linens and uniforms. In total, over a dozen Preferred Partners attended, providing expertise to help local restaurants operate efficiently and grow successfully.
The restaurant owners and industry-leading experts from What Now Media Group’s network of Preferred Partners shared valuable insights, operational highlights, and expert advice, creating an engaging and informative evening that was both enriching and beneficial for all attendees.
This led Caleb Spivak to delve even deeper into critical business points, such as having an exit plan and efficiently managing operations after expanding to multiple locations. After Caleb and the guests shared their tips, knowledge, and concerns, everyone became quickly interested in learning more about their businesses and how they could help one another.
This event served as a valuable platform for both restaurant owners and industry partners to collaborate, brainstorm, and form new connections. It’s clear that the San Diego restaurant community is eager to continue innovating and evolving, and What Now Media Group’s Accelerate events provide the perfect space for these conversations.
What Now Media Group shares restaurant opening news in 33 cities across North America, breaking news, and provides timely insight into yet-to-open brick-and-mortar businesses. The platform shares news of thousands of openings across all 33 cities annually.
The industry-leading experts in What Now Media Group’s network of Preferred Partners help new businesses open and existing businesses grow.
Stay tuned for future Accelerate events from What Now Media Group in 2026. For more details, see the Accelerate page here.
Click here for a complete list of our partners. To learn more about becoming a preferred partner, click here.
