Karen LuKanic
Senior Vice President of Business Development
Karen LuKanic brings more than 25 years of restaurant, catering, sales and marketing experience to her role as Senior Vice President of Business Development at Richard Sandoval Restaurants. Karen is spearheading sales, marketing, retail, corporate development and restaurant growth, to build upon the company's distinguished roots and cultivate the thriving multi-unit operation.
Formerly Corporate Director of Sales at Xanterra Parks & Resorts, Karen oversaw the sales and catering teams for the diversified hospitality company whose portfolio includes national parks, resorts, a railway, a cruise line and several adventure travel operators.
Prior to Xanterra, Karen served as Vice President of Business Development for Epicurean Culinary Group, President of Los Angeles's iconic Farm of Beverly Hills, and Vice President, Catering Sales at the world-renown Wolfgang Puck Catering, where she worked directly with Chef Puck to develop and advance company-wide marketing, business development and sales initiatives. Karen managed catering sales staff in 29 cultural and entertainment venues in 12 markets nationwide. While at WPC, Karen oversaw $100 million in annual catering sales, including prominent events such as the Academy Awards Governor's Ball, the GRAMMYs, American Music Awards and ESPY Awards, movie premieres and other exclusive corporate and social events.
Previously, Karen worked with several major brands in Los Angeles – Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), The Walt Disney Company and The Palm Restaurant - establishing and building upon her unique experience of marketing and operating successful restaurants and event venues in Los Angeles' downtown neighborhood. As Senior Director, Special Services for AEG, one of the world's leading sports and entertainment presenters, Karen managed food and beverage business development for prominent new entertainment venues L.A. Live and The O2 in London. For L.A. Live, she was instrumental in identifying and developing restaurant and foodservice opportunities with The Farm of Beverly Hills, Wolfgang Puck Catering, Katsuya, The Yard House, Starbucks, ESPN Zone and The Ritz-Carlton, among others. She played an integral role in the development and marketing of event venues at L.A. Live, including the GRAMMY® Museum.
At The Walt Disney Company, Karen oversaw the publicity and was a key member of the opening teams for Disney's restaurants, ESPN Zone, DisneyQuest and Club Disney. In addition, she held business development positions at such powerhouses as Viacom, American Golf Corporation and Jam Productions. Karen's career began at the prestigious Arlington International Racecourse, where she organized VIP hospitality for guests hosted by the racecourse's CEO and top executives, and coordinated all food and beverage sales and operations for luxury skybox seats.
Karen remains active in the industry, having served as an advisory board member for The Special Event for five years, as a member of the National Association of Catering Executives and Luxury Marketing Council. She has spoken at major conferences and events, including The Special Event, Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and the Marshall School of Business at University of Southern California. She is a two-time Gala Award Winner and was named "Best Presenter" by the Charitable Celebrity Commission.
A Chicago native, LuKanic attended Eastern Illinois University, Northwestern University, completed the professional chef curriculum at The New School of Cooking and a pastry specialty at the California School of Culinary Arts. She lives in Denver with her husband and daughter.
