BRIX HOLDINGS
CARISSA DE SANTIS
TITLE : CTO COMPANY : BRIX HOLDINGS
From contactless ordering and delivery systems to online reservation platforms , when the pandemic hit restaurants worldwide were forced to turn to digital tools to sustain their businesses and meet the evolving needs of their customers . Like the majority of the industry across the globe , businesses needed to adapt quickly .
“ Similarly to probably 80 % of the restaurant industry , we were very behind the curve ,” says DeSantis . “ We had to scramble during COVID to provide our customers with online ordering , and to build those relationships with third-party vendors .
EXECUTIVE BIO
Carissa is the Chief Technology
Officer of BRIX Holdings , LLC . BRIX Holdings is a multibrand franchising and restaurant management company whose portfolio includes iconic brands such as Friendly ’ s , Red Mango Cafe , Orange Leaf , Smoothie Factory + Kitchen , Humble Donut Co ., Greenz , and Pizza JukeBox . Prior to joining BRIX Holdings , DeSantis spent more than 15 years as a technology and operational leader for global restaurant organisations and was most recently Chief Information Officer at Dickey ’ s Barbecue Restaurants , Inc ., where she led the technology group driving significant growth across all their channels and brands . Prior to Dickey ’ s Barbecue Restaurants , she led all restaurant technology for the global TGI Fridays chain , where she focused on improving and integrating all systemsenabled initiatives for their in-store experiences .