Where's the Money? Conference Brings Together Lenders and Restaurant Operators

MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- It's no secret that financing has been scarce recently for businesses interested in raising capital for growth or other plans. However, one upcoming event meets the challenge head on, bringing together sources of capital with restaurant owners and operators.

The Restaurant Finance Monitor will provide a forum for owners and operators of leading restaurant companies to meet with the nation's top restaurant lenders at the 21st annual Restaurant Finance & Development Conference, which will be held in Las Vegas from November 8-10, 2010 at the Bellagio Hotel. More than 1,500 restaurant owners, operators and financial service executives are expected to attend.

Sponsors of the conference include names such as GE Capital, Wells Fargo, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, The CIT Group, Jefferies & Company, CapitalSpring, RBS Citizens, Mercantile Capital Corporation and First Franchise Capital, as well as many other lenders, investors and financial exhibitors. For a complete list of financial institutions exhibiting at the conference go to www.restfinance.com.

"This year's conference is particularly important for growing restaurant chains," said Mary Jo Lasron, publisher of Franchise Times magazine and editor of the Restaurant Finance Monitor, an industry newsletter that focuses on financing restaurants.

"For the first time since the beginning of the economic downturn, banks and other financial institutions have indicated that the credit freeze is thawing and they are beginning to hunt for new deals once again. And, investors still continue to eye the restaurant space for acquisitions," said Larson. For multi-unit restaurant operators, networking with the financial sources, as well their peers, provides a forum for deal making to begin, she added.

Conference attendees will find a wide variety of educational and deal-making sessions to attend. Workshop topics include alternative financing ideas for growing restaurant companies, opportunities in a distressed commercial real estate market, restaurant valuation trends, the restaurant merger and acquisition environment, private equity investing and the impact of health care reform on the industry.

In addition to meeting with top lenders and investors in the restaurant space, attendees will hear from a variety of keynote speakers giving their take on the economy and the restaurant space. Speakers include David Rosenberg of Gluskin Sheff, one of the top economists and financial strategists in the world; Michael Barone, a senior fellow of the American Enterprise Institute and frequent political contributor to Fox News; and Dr. Victor Calanog, PhD, director of research at Reis, Inc. and one of the top real estate analysts in the country. Jane Grote Abell, CEO of Donato's Pizza, will tell the story of the pizza restaurant her dad started in their home when she was just a child, how they grew the chain and eventually sold it to McDonald's and how they bought it back. And, Pat Williams, senior vice president of the Orlando Magic will talk about how he has put together a winning team, and is helping that team to work together to be champions. Plus, the conference's annual networking luncheon features super-impressionist and comedian Frank Caliendo.

All the ingredients are there for attendees to walk away with tools to help their business: compelling speakers, relevant and timely information, and sources of capital focused on the restaurant industry.

"Some people complain about the lack of financing available to small businesses. Solutions can be found at the conference," said Larson.

About Franchise Times Corp.

Franchise Times Corp. is the publisher of Franchise Times magazine, a monthly magazine devoted to news and information for the owners and senior executives of franchise businesses. The company also publishes the Restaurant Finance Monitor, a monthly newsletter targeting senior executives in finance and development for multi-unit restaurant companies. For 21 years, the company has presented the Restaurant Finance & Development Conference, which brings together lenders and restaurant operators to facilitate the financing needs of these restaurant companies.

For more information on the conference, see the conference page at: http://www.restfinance.com, or call 800-528-3296.

SOURCE Franchise Times Corp.