Description

Restaurant Collective Workshop: Collaborate, Connect and Thrive

Join us for an interactive workshop designed exclusively for local restaurant owners and operators. The Restaurant Collective Workshop brings together culinary entrepreneurs to collaborate on common challenges, share insights, and discover the resources available to support business growth and resilience.

This hands-on event will include Jim Toth from Chick-Fil-A Temecula as our keynote speaker, facilitated discussions, peer-to-peer learning, and direct access to industry experts, business development tools, and support organizations. Whether you’re navigating staffing shortages, exploring marketing strategies, or seeking funding opportunities, this workshop is a chance to work on your business, not just in it.

Meet our Resource Panelists-

Jay AllisBusiness Consultant
Areas of Expertise

Food industry
Costing and pricing
Digital optimization and guerilla marketing
Operations
Licensing and permitting

Experience
Jay has worked for corporate and independent restaurants and caterers for over 25 years. In that time, he has worked at Michelin-starred establishments, worked with world-class chefs, served celebrity clientele, and traveled the country practicing his trade. He started as a busboy and worked his way up to Sous Chef, Kitchen Manager, and Executive Chef. He brings a wealth of hands-on knowledge to help business owners start, operate, and streamline their foodservice operations.

Patrick Flaherty
Business Consultant
Areas of Expertise

Human resources
Employee development
Sales management

Experience
Patrick has more than 40 years of experience in operations and sales management, and 20 years of experience in the outsourced human resources field. He is currently an HR instructor at several universities and founded an HR consultancy firm in 2014. Patrick holds senior HR certifications from industry associations.

Robert Kirkpatrick
Business Consultant
Areas of Expertise

Commercial and industrial real estate

Experience:
Robert has extensive experience in commercial real estate serving in several senior management positions including President & CEO at The Rancon Companies, a large multi-faceted real estate company with brokerage offices in SoCal and developer/owner of $300+ million (per SEC) of commercial real estate. Robert also served as President and COO of CataList Homes, Vice Chairman of the Board and Director of Fallbrook & Community National Bank, and was the President and Co-founder of Benchmark Escrow, a full-service escrow company in Los Angeles County.

Paul Nolta 
Director, Inland Empire SBDC
Areas of Expertise

Debt finance
Financial analysis
Startup feasibility
Strategic planning
Marketing

Experience
Paul Nolta has been a part of the Inland Empire SBDC for over 16 years. Paul is currently serving as the director and overseeing all operations at his center. Additionally, he is on the leadership team for the Inland Empire Center of Entrepreneurship (IECE). Paul is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and a graduate of San Francisco State University. Paul has an extensive background in financial analysis, business planning, and leadership.

Esther Phahla, CPA, CTS, MST
President | CEO

Esther Phahla is the Founder and President/CEO of Esther N. Phahla, CPA, A Professional Corporation. She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Tax Strategist (CTS) dedicated to helping small business owners and individuals design an optimal tax strategy through year-round proactive tax planning to help them keep more of what they earned because: It’s Not How Much You Make, It’s How Much You Keep $$$.

Esther is a frequent contributor of tax content to the Financial Section of The Valley Business Journal and a frequent speaker and trainer at seminars. She is the author of two tax planning books: “Why Didn’t My CPA Tell ME THAT” and “10 Most Expensive Tax Mistakes that Cost Business Owners THOUSANDS”. She has over 20 years experience working with small business owners and real estate investors on tax reduction strategies and business growth to help them focus on what they do best knowing that they have a Trusted Advisor throughout the year to keep them updated on tax law changes that affect them.

Let’s build a stronger, more connected restaurant community, together.

Free to attend for all local restaurant entrepreneurs and employees