A diverse group of Houston restaurateurs and hospitality professionals came together for a recent Accelerate event hosted by What Now Media Group. Held on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, the gathering provided members of Houston’s restaurant community an opportunity to connect, exchange ideas, and discuss strategies for navigating an increasingly competitive market.
De Fortune, located at 3515 W Dallas St #300, hosted the free event, welcoming dozens of representatives from businesses featured on What Now Houston. The modern restaurant, located just west of downtown Houston, served as a central meeting place for local restaurant owners and industry-leading experts from What Now Media Group’s network of Preferred Partners. Attendees mingled and networked before attending a presentation on growth, scalability, and long-term success in today’s restaurant landscape.
The event, hosted by Mariah Medley, director of events and partner engagement at What Now Media Group, featured a wide range of restaurateurs and business owners at various stages of expansion. Among those in attendance was Mayur “Mike” Desai, co-founder of De Fortune, the host venue and a rising Houston dining destination backed by MAKE Investments LLC.
Also present were Scott Sulma, founder and CEO of May I Speak Hospitality, and JD Davy, business partner at Recess, an upcoming family-friendly dine-and-play concept set to open in the Northern Montrose area. Debora Garcia and Wenceslao Garcia Jr., co-owners of Ninety9 Cafe, attended to share insights on the café’s growing presence in Humble, where the concept blends community, coffee, and comfort food.
Additional restaurant owners included Damon Mitchells, co-franchisee of Pure Green, a smoothie and wellness-focused brand expanding into River Oaks, and Neal Amleh, owner of Qurbah, a concept centered on coffee culture and connection in Pearland. Guillermo Gurdian and Eduardo Perozo, co-owners of Empire Cookies, were also in attendance as they prepare to open the brand’s first physical storefront in Houston.
The event also welcomed Brad and Nicole Bean, co-owners of Pizaro’s Pizza, a well-known Houston pizzeria celebrated for its artisanal approach, and Justin Valdez, founder and owner of Inspira Coffee, which recently secured its first brick-and-mortar location. Other attendees included Sheldon Isaac of Jaquay’s, Marisol De La Fuente of Graze Craze, Thach Nguyen and Jeff Fernandez of Sandoitchi, and Willie Coleman, area director for BoomerJack’s Grill & Bar.
Representatives from more than a dozen Preferred Partners were on hand to provide guidance and resources to local operators. Among them was Lucy Whittington, senior payroll advisor at Auris, who spoke with restaurateurs about payroll and hr solutions designed to simplify back-office operations. Marvin Smith, software relationship manager at Global Payments, shared insights on pos technology that helps restaurants improve efficiency and guest experience.
Cash management solutions were represented by Ramon Ramos and Nguyen “Eddie” Tran of Brinks, while Daniel Kfoury of OpenTable discussed reservation and guest management tools. The SpotOn team, including Nathan Drake and Dimas Estrada, connected with operators to discuss flexible pos systems tailored for hospitality businesses. Dan Schrobilgen of Our Town America highlighted direct-mail strategies to help restaurants reach new movers, while Davis Savoie and Billy Nash of inKind shared how guest acquisition programs can drive repeat visits. Additional support came from Andrea Lapotaire of Restaurant Technologies and Dick Butler and Jaqueline Cruz of Dimensional AVL Tech Experts, who spoke about audio and visual solutions for restaurant spaces.
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 Mariah Medley to take the conversation even deeper by discussing critical business points, such as developing an exit plan and managing operations efficiently after expanding to multiple locations. After Mariah and the guests shared their tips, insights, and concerns, everyone quickly became interested in learning more about their businesses and how they could help one another.
This event provided a valuable platform for restaurant owners and industry partners to collaborate, brainstorm, and build new connections. It’s clear that the Phoenix restaurant community is eager to continue innovating and evolving, and What Now Media Group’s Accelerate events provide the ideal 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.
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