Investment Summit returns to CREATE to connect emerging brands with investors
Chipotle CEO Scott Boatwright to keynote special CREATE session focused on growth and finance for leaders of emerging restaurants
June 2, 2026
Nation’s Restaurant News and CREATE: The Event for Emerging Restaurateurs are excited to announce the return of the Investment Summit, a special content and networking opportunity for leaders of emerging restaurant brands and members of the investment community.
The annual Investment Summit — which kicks off this year’s CREATE, held July 20-22 at the Terranea Resort outside Los Angeles — features networking between emerging brands and investors, as well as a block of main-stage sessions designed to educate operators on the financial resources available to them.
“The Investment Summit has become a highlight of each CREATE, providing resources for emerging restaurant chains specifically looking for capital and growth insights that can help them scale,” said Sam Oches, editor in chief of Nation’s Restaurant News. “Hundreds of brand leaders have participated in our Investment Summit to date, and many have established valuable connections with potential investors — some of which have led to deals.”
This year’s Investment Summit, which is once again supported by gold sponsor Savory Fund and, like CREATE, is free for participating restaurant operators, includes a keynote fireside chat between Oches and Chipotle CEO Scott Boatwright, who will discuss Chipotle’s growth and the unique challenges of being a public company.
New to this year’s Investment Summit is 1-to-1 networking, in which participating brand leaders will have the opportunity to connect directly with investors in speed-dating-style, one-on-one conversations.
“The Investment Summit is an opportunity like no other, as emerging restaurant leaders rarely get a chance to connect with so many members of the investment community in one place,” Oches said. “If you have a growing restaurant brand and you’re interested in exploring the financial paths available to you, you can’t afford to miss this free event.”
Qualifying operators can reserve their spot for CREATE and the Investment Summit by clicking here.
Investors can register for the Investment Summit — which comes with full access to CREATE — by clicking here.
About the Author
Sam Oches
Editor in Chief
Sam Oches is an award-winning Editorial Director with Informa Connect Foodservice and editor in chief of Nation's Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality. A graduate of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, Sam previously served as Editorial Director of Food News Media, publisher of QSR and FSR magazines. He’s a past president of the International Foodservice Editorial Council (IFEC) and a past board member with the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE). His foodservice insights have been shared in national media outlets such as the New York Times, USA Today, National Public Radio, and CNBC. He lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife and three kids.
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