What Now Media Group brought Dallas-area business leaders together for its Accelerate networking event on Wednesday, September 9, from 3 to 5 p.m. Marian Ebhamen, What Now’s Event Host, led the proceedings, which were held at La Stella Italian Steakhouse and Music Lounge, located at 14655 Dallas Pkwy.
The Dallas gathering brought together 25 F&B/retail attendees representing 17 concepts, and 17 partner attendees representing 13 companies, for 42 attendees overall. A broad mix of businesses were present, including fitness, retail, entertainment, nightlife, QSR concepts, sit-down dining, bars, bakeries, breweries, and more.
Restaurant & Retail Attendees
Recess – 3102 Oak Lawn Ave, Dallas, TX 75219
Co-founder Taylor Metzger and Co-owners Evan Duncan and Rachael Fischer attended, representing Recess, a Dallas fitness concept. Recess is moving forward with a 22,000-square-foot renovation of a center that will become its second location.
Earth Coffee – 305 E. Eldorado Pkwy, Suite 320, Little Elm, TX 75068
Rajesh Dayal, founder of Earth Coffee, attended the event. The independent cafe is expanding beyond its Irving location, with a planned Little Elm cafe that is coming soon.
Melodeon Jazz Lounge – 175 Oak Lawn Avenue, Suite 102, Dallas, TX 75207
Co-founder Cary Ray and business partner Ricki Derek attended representing Melodeon Jazz Lounge. The concept is planning a Dallas Design District location that will combine dining with live jazz and nightlife.
MilkShake Factory – 12835 Preston Rd, Suite 215, Dallas, TX 75230
Nikita Maganti, general manager, represented MilkShake Factory at the event. The national dessert concept opened its Preston Valley location in July, operated by franchise partner Dylan Chatterjee.
Sky Rocket Burger – 604 W. Randol Mill Road, Arlington, TX 76011
President and CEO of Sky Rocket Burger, Amin Talebi, attended on behalf of the brand. The Dallas-born burger concept is preparing to open its first Arlington location near AT&T Stadium.
Mea Culpa – 309 W. Daggett Avenue, Fort Worth, TX 76104
Konrad Hartman and Ethan Goettsch, co-proprietors, attended representing Mea Culpa. The Fort Worth cocktail bar is moving forward with a 1,065-square-foot tenant finish-out that is expected to wrap up later this year.
Almacén El Gallo – 500 W. 7th Street, Suite 175, Fort Worth, TX 76102
Founder Adrian Burciaga attended alongside guest Maria Jose Cervantes and business partner Martin Quirarte. Almacén El Gallo is a contemporary Mexican restaurant rooted in the traditions of fondas and cantinas.
Captain D’s – 1750 E. Bardin Rd, Arlington, TX 76018
Franchisee Lisa Starnes and Julie Cruz, Director of Operations, attended representing Captain D’s. The seafood-focused fast-casual chain operates an Arlington location, serving its menu of seafood meals, chicken and sides.
The Peach Cobbler Factory – 2400 Aviation Dr, DFW Airport, TX 75261
Ray Mickens, franchisee, attended representing The Peach Cobbler Factory. The dessert chain is expanding its North Texas presence to DFW International Airport, with locations in both Terminal C and Terminal D.
Don Goyo – 8520 Camp Bowie West Boulevard, Fort Worth, TX 76116
Areli Orduno, manager, represented Don Goyo at the event. The Mexican artisan bakery is working on a new 11,200-square-foot location hat will replace its existing location, targeting a December opening.
Pirate Panda Brewing – 200 S. Oak Street, Roanoke, TX 76262
David Medina, co-owner, attended representing Pirate Panda Brewing. The brewery is developing a new 5,600-square-foot brewery and taproom in downtown Roanoke, with an upper-level mezzanine and outdoor seating.
Broken Yolk Cafe – Plano, TX
John Zhang, franchisee, attended representing Broken Yolk Cafe. Zhang and fellow franchisee JP Wu are leading the brand’s DFW expansion, with plans that have included additional North Texas locations, while also taking over the existing McKinney restaurant.
Piada Italian Street Food – 2141 S. International Pkwy, DFW Airport, TX 75261
Gilbert Aranza, franchisee, attended representing Piada Italian Street Food. The fast-casual concept serves customizable piadas, tossed pastas, and chopped salads, and has expanded its DFW presence with a spot inside DFW International Airport.
UNCO – 2010 Greenville Ave, Suite D, Dallas, TX 75206
Ashley Meyer, marketing manager, attended representing UNCO. The Dallas-based hospitality company operates multiple restaurant and bar concepts, including HG Sply Co., Leela’s Wine Bar, Standard Service, Hero, Milli, and Culpepper Cattle Co. UNCO Services is its business-services arm.
Mister O1 Extraordinary Pizza – 2828 N. Tarrant Pkwy, Suite 110, Fort Worth, TX 76177
Chris Brooke, marketing representative, attended representing Mister O1 Extraordinary Pizza. The pizza concept continues its Texas expansion, with its directory listing locations in Fort Worth, Fort Worth Alliance, Dallas Turtle Creek, Flower Mound, Grapevine, and Mansfield.
Breakfast Brothers – 400 E. Front St, Building 4-D100, Arlington, TX 76011
Brittany Criswell and Brittany Bryant, marketing directors, attended representing Breakfast Brothers. The concept currently lists locations in Dallas, Arlington and Downtown Arlington, serving an all-day breakfast menu.
REWA Vineyards – Napa, CA 94558
Dominique Morales, sales and marketing executive, attended representing REWA Vineyards. The Napa Valley winery produces Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc, with its 43-acre estate established by vintner G.S. Sareen.
Partner Attendees
ADT
Kenneth Jolly, small business sales representative, attended on behalf of ADT. The company provides commercial security services for small businesses, including intrusion detection, video surveillance, access control, business automation, and remote monitoring.
Ambient Technology
Owner Zach James represented Ambient Technology, an audio/visual company serving business clients with AV and related technology in the Dallas-Fort Worth region.
Auris
Claire Cressionnie, PCA, attended representing Auris. Auris provides payroll, HR, timekeeping, workers’ compensation, and employee-benefits solutions for small and growing businesses.
Contreras Building Group
Daniel Contreras, owner, represented Contreras Building Group. The Texas-based general contractor and design-build firm specializes in commercial and residential construction, interior build-outs, new construction and major remodels.
DoorDash
Ashley Gates and Kamila Arcos, merchant leads, attended representing DoorDash. DoorDash provides restaurants with delivery, pickup, online ordering, customer discovery, reservations, and other merchant tools.
Global Payments Genius
Josh Saketi, District Manager, and Mark Stringer, software relationship manager, attended representing Global Payments’ Genius point-of-sale platform. Genius provides restaurants with POS, payments, handheld ordering, kitchen management, digital menus, online ordering, and other operational tools.
Human Interest
Kaitlin Weller and Wesley Mueller, PAMs, represented Human Interest. The company provides employer-sponsored 401(k) plans for businesses, with services covering plan administration, compliance support, employee enrollment, and plan management.
inKind
Amber Belmore, account executive, attended representing inKind. The company works with restaurants through a guest-acquisition and capital model, providing restaurants with upfront funding in exchange for F&B credit, then uses that credit to bring diners to participating spots.
Liquid Environmental Solutions
Penny Wortham, regional account solutions manager, represented Liquid Environmental Solutions. The company provides non-hazardous liquid-waste services, including grease-trap and interceptor cleaning, used cooking-oil collection, drain-line cleaning and wastewater disposal.
LP Enterprises
Ryan Layne, consultant, attended representing LP Enterprises. The hospitality consulting company specializes in restaurant purchasing and procurement, helping operators evaluate suppliers, negotiate contracts, identify cost-saving opportunities and streamline purchasing operations.
Matthews
Will Carr, senior associate, represented Matthews. The commercial real estate company provides investment sales, debt financing, auction services, and leasing, with a Dallas office serving investors, developers, and institutional clients.
PREP Shared Kitchens
Melinda Hudson, Dallas sales and community manager, attended representing PREP Shared Kitchens. PREP provides reservable production space, commercial equipment, storage, and access to permitting assistance, procurement resources, and business-development support.
SpotOn
Leslie Sierra, hospitality specialist, and Mark Guatelara, account executive, represented SpotOn. The restaurant technology company provides point-of-sale, online ordering, reservations, marketing, scheduling, labor management, and profitability tools for hospitality businesses.
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.
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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Dallas Industry Leaders Connect at What Now Media Group Accelerate Event (Image Credit: What Now)
Dallas Industry Leaders Connect at What Now Media Group Accelerate Event (Image Credit: What Now)
