Webinar: Cost of Goods

Event Type: Education
Region: North America
Venue: Online
Member Price: Free | Nonmember Price: $49
Credit Hour(s): 1

1-2 p.m. ET

Whether you are a seasoned veteran looking to sharpen your skills, or a newbie to the industry looking to learn how to improve the profitability at your food locations, join us as we look at calculating your Cost of Goods Sold.  COGS (cost of goods sold) is one of the most important things to measure. Put simply, it’s how much it costs you to produce a menu item.

COG is important because it’s tied directly to your profit margins, revenue and inventory management. Food Locations who don’t have a firm grasp of their COGS and monitor it regularly put their business in financial risk.

But the good news is that you have control over your COGS. All it takes is a little number-crunching.  Join us, and we’ll show you how.

Attendees are eligible to earn one continuing education unit (1 CEU) towards IAAPA recertification. For more information about IAAPA Certifications, please contact Alissa DeMeglio.

Speakers

Jeff Shepard

Jeff Shepard

Director of Procurement-Food & Beverage
Cedar Fair Entertainment Company

Born and raised just north of Detroit Michigan in a city called Pontiac, Jeff began his food service career at the early age of 14.  His first jobs consisted of fast-food restaurants such as Arby’s and Burger King, but he eventually worked his way into more casual dining and finally a culinary position at the age of 18 at a prestigious country club in West Bloomfield, MI.  While working at the country club, Jeff learned a number of different culinary skills until moving into contracted foodservice with Aramark’s higher education division at Oakland University.  There he started in Culinary until moving into a supervisory role overseeing retail dining operations.  After an Aramark contract transition to Chartwells Higher Education – Compass Group USA, Jeff took a position as the Financial Administrator overseeing all financial operations.  

After meeting his soon to be wife in Charlotte, North Carolina, he transferred within Chartwells Higher Education to the University of North Carolina – Charlotte.  As a Multi-Unit Retail Manager, he oversaw several different dining operations including the sports arena, retail food courts and a number of coffee shops.  Accepting a position as a Sr. Purchasing Manager with Levy Restaurants, a contracted foodservice company specializing in sports and entertainment, Jeff used his financial skills combined with his culinary & operations experience to rise quickly within the organization.  Within a couple of years, he was promoted to Regional Purchasing Manager where he oversaw much of the Levy Restaurants east coast purchasing operations including locations/teams such as the Boston Convention Center, Washington Redskins, Washington Nationals, Charlotte Hornets, the Miami Heat as well as a number of NASCAR tracks and the PGA golf division.  Concentrating on financial analysis and operational efficiency, he developed and implemented many different process and policy initiatives that were adapted throughout all of Levy Restaurants.  After managing the different sports & entertainment venues as well as executing multiple PGA Championships, Wells Fargo Championships, RYDER Cup and over 30 different NASCAR races, Jeff desired to travel less and spend more time with his now growing family.  

Leaving Levy Restaurants, he accepted a position with Ahold Delhaize, a top 5 national grocery chain, overseeing equipment purchasing for the Food Lion banner.  Realizing, again, his passion for high volume food & beverage operations, he left the retail grocery business to join Cedar Fair Entertainment Company and the newly created position of Director of Procurement, F&B.  With Cedar Fair, Jeff is able to utilize all the skills he’s developed to influence food & beverage operations; building distributor & manufacturing partnerships, new product programs, and operational efficiencies.  In his Procurement Director role, Jeff oversees all procurement and purchasing functions for the food & beverage category, including warehouse management, inventory management, product qualification, financial analysis and cost of goods management.

Harry Smith

Harry Smith

Corporate Regional Executive Chef
Cedar Fair Entertainment Company

Harry Smith grew up in a small lake community called Lake Lotawana near Kansas City in Missouri.  When not on the water, Harry spent his summer days making and enjoying great food in a place where backyard BBQ is the rule and not the exception.  Being immersed in the slow-smoking Kansas City BBQ scene, he developed a passion for food and cooking and began his 30+ year career in the restaurant industry starting at age 15.

Harry worked in local restaurants in high school and then entered the sports and entertainment industry with the Levy Restaurants at Arrowhead Stadium holding many positions while studying business at the University of Kansas nearby.  After college he transitioned into a full-time position with Levy and relocated countless times over his fifteen years with the company.  Harry climbed the culinary ranks holding many different positions during his tenure including having the honor of working as the Executive Chef of Utah Olympic Park at the 2002 Winter Olympics and as the Executive Chef for Superbowl XXXIX in Jacksonville.

Harry left the Levy Restaurants in 2006 to open his own restaurant in Colorado and started a consulting business primarily focusing on small business startup, menu consulting and recipe development.  He built the restaurant into a profitable endeavor and sold it a year later and continued consulting until the call of the excitement brought him back into the entertainment industry, first at Sporting Kansas City and then at Worlds of Fun with the Cedar Fair Entertainment Company.  In 2021 Harry was promoted to the newly created Regional Executive Chef position where he is supporting and driving the culinary experience at nine of Cedar Fair’s thirteen parks.

Bernie Campbell

Bernie Campbell

MA Regional VP Sales
Whirley Drinkworks!

Bernie has been with Whirley Drinkworks for over 30 years. He has provided valuable guidance to numerous Theme parks and attractions making Souvenir vessels a key component of any park's revenue stream. Whirley Drinkworks specializes in the manufacturer of refill/souvenir vessels throughout the world. Along with Bernie, Whirley has worked to pioneer the refill/souvenir container offerings for the Amusement Park and Attractions Industry.

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