Full Name
Wade Allen
Company Name
Brinker International
Job Title
SVP / Chief Digital Officer & Head of Off Premise
X Handle (formerly Twitter)
@Digitalwade
Speaker Bio
Wade Allen is senior vice president and chief digital officer at Brinker International, Inc., one of the world’s leading casual dining restaurant companies and home of Chili’s® Grill & Bar, Maggiano’s Little Italy® and two virtual brands: It’s Just Wings® and Maggiano’s Italian Classics™.
In this role, Wade oversees growing the company’s off-premise business and driving the digital Guest experience online through the Chili’s app, To-Go and Delivery. He works with the Chili’s CMO, George Felix; CIO, Pankaj Patra; and COO, Doug Comings to identify strategies and plans to accelerate the Chili’s off-premise business, most of which is transacted digitally.
Since joining Brinker in 2014, Wade has held multiple leadership roles in technology, analytics and digital marketing. Most recently, Wade served as senior vice president of innovation, overseeing culinary innovation, engineering, strategic growth, and the development and execution of virtual brands. Prior to that, he led Chili’s to be recognized as the technology leader in the casual dining restaurant industry as vice president of digital Guest experience and analytics. He’s led the implementation and continued advancement of tabletop devices, My Chili’s Rewards, Chili’s mobile app and website, plus the capture and use of data to inform all aspects of the business.
Prior to joining Brinker, Wade served as president of CouponFactory, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rockfish Interactive, where he was responsible for the company’s overall strategy, retail digital shopper marketing initiatives, new business growth and product ideation. He held positions as vice president of retail for Rockfish Interactive and as an account director/solution lead at the integrated marketing agency, RAPP, where he worked on a number of Brinker brands.
Wade realizes the unique opportunity for technology to change and improve the dining and to-go Guest experience through ease and personalization. His perspective on technology and trends has been quoted in a number of credible outlets including Bloomberg, DigiDay and Forbes. He has also been published several times by Shopper Technology Institute, including the book, “The Essentials of Shopper Technology.”
Wade enjoys spending time with his wife and four children. In his spare time, he enjoys reading about emerging technology, politics and history and stays active through participating in water sports, snow sports and other athletic activities.
Wade serves on the digital innovation advisory council for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® and is an active member of his church. He holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Brigham Young University and a master’s degree in integrated marketing communications from Northwestern University.
In this role, Wade oversees growing the company’s off-premise business and driving the digital Guest experience online through the Chili’s app, To-Go and Delivery. He works with the Chili’s CMO, George Felix; CIO, Pankaj Patra; and COO, Doug Comings to identify strategies and plans to accelerate the Chili’s off-premise business, most of which is transacted digitally.
Since joining Brinker in 2014, Wade has held multiple leadership roles in technology, analytics and digital marketing. Most recently, Wade served as senior vice president of innovation, overseeing culinary innovation, engineering, strategic growth, and the development and execution of virtual brands. Prior to that, he led Chili’s to be recognized as the technology leader in the casual dining restaurant industry as vice president of digital Guest experience and analytics. He’s led the implementation and continued advancement of tabletop devices, My Chili’s Rewards, Chili’s mobile app and website, plus the capture and use of data to inform all aspects of the business.
Prior to joining Brinker, Wade served as president of CouponFactory, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rockfish Interactive, where he was responsible for the company’s overall strategy, retail digital shopper marketing initiatives, new business growth and product ideation. He held positions as vice president of retail for Rockfish Interactive and as an account director/solution lead at the integrated marketing agency, RAPP, where he worked on a number of Brinker brands.
Wade realizes the unique opportunity for technology to change and improve the dining and to-go Guest experience through ease and personalization. His perspective on technology and trends has been quoted in a number of credible outlets including Bloomberg, DigiDay and Forbes. He has also been published several times by Shopper Technology Institute, including the book, “The Essentials of Shopper Technology.”
Wade enjoys spending time with his wife and four children. In his spare time, he enjoys reading about emerging technology, politics and history and stays active through participating in water sports, snow sports and other athletic activities.
Wade serves on the digital innovation advisory council for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® and is an active member of his church. He holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Brigham Young University and a master’s degree in integrated marketing communications from Northwestern University.
