Back of House Technnology

Restaurant technology should make running your business easier, not add another layer of complexity. But with more tools available than ever, knowing what you actually need and how it all fits together can be a challenge.
Presented by Back of House, the most trusted resource for restaurant technology, this panel brings together experienced restaurant veterans for a practical conversation about the technology and systems that support a successful operation.
We’ll explore what’s essential for first time restaurateurs, how established operators can use technology to improve their business, and what changes when you’re ready to scale. Our panelists will also share advice on building sound operational systems and choosing technology that solves real problems rather than creating new ones.
Finally, we’ll look ahead at the rise of AI and what it could mean for the future of restaurant operations and hospitality.

Spencer Michiel – Back of House

Spencer is a restaurant technology consultant, speaker, and podcast host with more than 20 years of hands-on hospitality experience. Having worked nearly every role in the industry, from busser and line cook to operations manager, he brings a practical, operator-first perspective to restaurant technology. He has helped introduce innovative technologies including one of the industry’s first cloud-based POS systems and a QR-code order and pay platform. Today, Spencer works with Back of House, a division of GFS, where he advises restaurant operators across North America on technology, profitability, and operational efficiency. He also co-hosts the “So You Want To Run a Restaurant” podcast, exploring the challenges and opportunities shaping the modern restaurant industry.

Heather MacDonald – President, Gibbons Whistler 

Heather MacDonald
President, Gibbons Whistler

Heather MacDonald is President of Gibbons Whistler, where she leads the operational and business functions across a diverse portfolio of hospitality, accommodation, wellness, events, and outdoor adventure businesses.
With more than 15 years of experience in hospitality and tourism, Heather combines financial discipline, operational leadership, and technology-enabled thinking. She is passionate about turning data into practical systems that help teams improve inventory controls, kitchen performance, profitability, and the guest experience.
Heather also serves on the boards of Tourism Whistler and the Tourism Industry Association of BC. She is committed to developing strong teams, advancing sustainable tourism, and building a resilient Whistler economy.

Mo Jessa

Mo Jessa grew up inside Earls Restaurants. He joined the company in 1988, long before he imagined where the journey might lead, and learned the business the only way that really counts, by standing beside people, making mistakes, and trying again the next day.
Kitchens, dining rooms, late nights, difficult conversations, and moments of real pride shaped him far more than any title ever could.
Over more than three decades, Mo watched Earls evolve from a small, regional group of restaurants into a North American company with over 70 locations and more than 7,000 people across Canada and the United States.
He considers it a privilege to have played a role in that growth, and an even greater one to have learned alongside so many people who cared deeply about doing things well and doing them together.
Mo later served as President of Earls for ten years, becoming the first non-family member to hold the role. His time in leadership was defined by strategy, by relationships, by learning when to speak, when to listen, and when to step aside so others could rise. The work was often challenging, sometimes uncomfortable, and deeply formative. The success the company experienced during those years was built on trust, shared ownership, and a belief that leadership is not a position, but a practice.
Mo holds a Master Certificate in Hospitality Management from Cornell University and an Executive Coaching Certification from Royal Roads University. Mo is also a Certified Chef De Cuisine. Along the way, he sought out teachers, mentors, and thinkers who challenged his assumptions and sharpened his thinking, but the most enduring lessons came from real moments, real people, and real accountability.
Today, Mo speaks to leaders, teams, boards, and students about integrity, responsibility, and building cultures that can withstand pressure and change. He does so not as someone who has it all figured out, but as someone who learned, often the hard way, that leadership begins with honesty, grows through service, and endures through humility. He is the CEO of Design Health Labs Ltd, a company whose mission is to create tools and resources for leaders to thrive.
Outside of work, Mo finds grounding in reading, cooking for people he loves, and giving back to his community. He remains deeply grateful to the mentors who challenged him, the teams who trusted him, and the countless people who helped shape both the leader and the person he continues to become.
You can connect with him on:
https://dw2ceo.com
http://www.threads.com/@dw2ceo
https://www.facebook.com/dw2ceo

Mo Jessa wrote a book called My Business leadership lessons learned on a journey from dishwasher to president.