A variety of Nashville restaurateurs and industry professionals gathered for an “Accelerate” event hosted by What Now Media Group at Party Fowl (Vanderbilt). The event provided a valuable opportunity for Nashville’s restaurant community to connect and share ideas on navigating the competitive market.
Party Fowl (Vanderbilt), located at 2031 Broadway in Nashville, hosted the free event that brought together dozens of representatives from businesses featured on What Now Nashville. This included local restaurants and industry-leading experts from What Now Media Group’s network of Preferred Partners. Attendees networked over bites and beverages before attending a presentation on strategies for growing and succeeding in today’s competitive market.
The event, hosted by Kyle Dondero, Director of Partner Success at What Now Media Group, featured a range of notable restaurateurs and business owners. Attendees included a variety of local restaurant owners, including Gracey Strevel, director of marketing at Party Fowl, and Pablo Cela, director of sales at Pendry Nashville. Venu Alokam and Vamsi Dara, co-owner and manager of Amruth, also attended, sharing insights on growing their Asian-inspired sports bar in the area.
Other attendees included Maddie Young and Erica Staats, marketing and events managers for The Valentine, a concept from the Elia Group, a dynamic restaurant group with multiple Nashville concepts, and Jennifer Cline, co-owner of Aloha Fish Company, which recently relocated to One City. Ana Aguilar, co-owner of Tantisimo, and Khalid and Sally Abuadas, co-owners of Sam’s Greek Cafe, also joined the event to share their experiences expanding to new locations.
Additional restaurant owners in attendance included Jason Sorbet and Holly Tripp of LeBlanc + Smith Hospitality, Spencer Wang of Sumoyaki Bar & Grill, Brandon Styll of Mere Bulles, and Fady Girgis and Emeel Mostachar of Roman’s Greek & Grill. Faith and Aaron Adair, owners of Birdie’s Craft Coffee, were also present, representing the growing specialty coffee scene.
The event was supported by several of What Now Media Group’s Preferred Partners, offering expertise and guidance to Nashville restaurateurs. Luke Leftwich and Shane Dye from A Head For Profits shared tips on beverage installation and maintenance to streamline operations. Ken Lewis and Stephanie Rauck from ADT provided security solutions tailored to restaurants, while Mark Plourde and Sarah Huggins from Auris (formerly Heartland) offered HR and payroll solutions to help businesses scale efficiently. Connor Holland and Kevin McGrew of ECOLAB discussed chemical and pest management solutions for a safer, cleaner environment. Shelley Brown and Jason Ortiz from Global Payments shared insights on point-of-sale technology to enhance restaurant operations and customer experiences.
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 Kyle to take the conversation deeper by discussing critical business points, such as developing an exit plan and managing operations efficiently after expanding to multiple locations. After Kyle and the guests shared their tips, insights, and concerns, everyone quickly expressed interest in learning more about one another’s businesses and how they could help.
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.
For a complete list of our partners, click here, and to learn more about how to become a preferred partner, click here.
