Chas Kaplan is an Ohio-based entrepreneur, live event producer, and brand strategist known for building high-impact experiences that connect food, music, and community. He is the founder of Kaplan Artists Group, the owner and producer of The Columbus Food Truck Festival, and the creator of the Columbus Mobile Food Conference & Expo.
Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Chas graduated from Cleveland Heights High School in 1993 before relocating to Columbus to attend The Ohio State University, where his passion for business, hospitality, and community-building began to take shape.
After college, he entered the restaurant industry with Buffalo Wild Wings, first serving as a franchise consultant before becoming General Manager of the Bethel Road location in Columbus from 1996 to 2000. Under his leadership, the Bethel Road restaurant became the #1 grossing sales unit out of 181 locations nationwide and operated as a designated training center for franchisees and management staff—contributing to the company’s rapid expansion and eventual IPO.
In 2004, Chas transitioned into large-scale event production and the music industry. He began managing bands, working in Columbus arenas, and learning the operational and promotional side of live entertainment from the ground up—experience that would later shape his festival production success.
In 2011, he founded The Columbus Food Truck Festival, helping pioneer and elevate the food truck movement in Ohio. The festival has grown into one of the Midwest’s premier culinary and entertainment events, featuring 50+ gourmet food trucks, national and regional music talent, artisan vendors, family activations, and major brand partnerships.
Beyond festivals, Chas built one of Ohio’s most impactful mobile food infrastructure platforms. In 2012, he took over operations and management of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Mobile Food Truck Program, implementing a fair and transparent scheduling system under his platform MFV Success (Mobile Food Vendor Success). In 2015, he launched the City of Columbus Mobile Food Truck Program, further formalizing food truck scheduling and activation within the region.
Today, through MFV Success, Chas continues to book and manage more than 150 food truck placements per month, year-round, for The Ohio State University and other institutional partners—creating consistent revenue streams for small businesses while delivering high-quality dining experiences to corporate and campus environments.
In 2018, Chas Kaplan and Kaplan Artists Group helped create the Inkcarceration Festival, contributing to the operational and strategic groundwork that propelled the event to massive success in 2019. The festival’s growth ultimately contributed to its sale to Danny Wimmer Presents in 2021.
Through Kaplan Artists Group, Chas develops experiential marketing campaigns, large-scale live event production strategies, sponsorship platforms, and brand partnerships that bridge culture and commerce. His work centers on scalable systems, strong community relationships, and measurable brand activation results.
With more than two decades of experience spanning hospitality, franchise operations, music, institutional food programs, and major event production, Chas Kaplan continues to build platforms that feed communities, support entrepreneurs, and create memorable, high-impact experiences across Ohio and beyond.