ambassador of the company culture and the face of the brand as Chairman of the Board.
“Since starting at Sugar Bowl Bakery five years ago, Joel
has proven to be a talented, well-liked, and extremely capable leader,” Ly said. “Despite the challenges of running a business during a pandemic, record inflation and incredible supply chain challenges, Joel has adapted and thrived, leading the company to achieve tremendous growth and the opening of a new bakery in Atlanta.”
True Food Kitchen True Food Kitchen, a restaurant group focused on wellness, announced industry veteran John Williams as CEO. With more than two decades of experience working in hospitality, entertainment and consumer packaged goods, Williams will draw from his wealth of expertise gained at top consumer- facing brands to support and lead True Food Kitchen’s continued expansion and evolution. “As a long-time admirer of (founder Dr. Andrew Weil), and huge personal fan of the brand, I am thrilled to be joining the True Food Kitchen team,” Williams said. “This is an exciting time to be a part of the company in the midst of its growth and in advance of several exciting changes the brand plans to unveil this spring including elevated updates across the menu, restaurant design and brand identity.” In his new role as CEO, Williams plans to continue to expand the brand’s mission of bringing craveable, nutritious food to as many people as possible. He aims to inspire more people to make choices that sustain their appetite, health and the planet — ultimately aligning with the company’s fundamental mission. A seasoned professional with a dynamic background working at some the country’s top hospitality and entertainment brands, Williams joins True Food Kitchen from Lazy Dog Restaurants as the former chief marketing officer, where he oversaw marketing and growth strategies and played a critical role in the brand’s continued expansion across the nation. Previously, Williams oversaw marketing strategy as an executive at The Disneyland Resort, focused on driving attendance, occupancy and revenue for the resort. He has also held roles with General Mills, Nestle and more.
Whataburger Whataburger hired Debbie Stroud as its new executive vice president and COO. Stroud is a seasoned executive with more than 30 years of leadership experience in the restaurant and retail industry, most recently as senior vice president, U.S. retail operations for Starbucks. During her five years at Starbucks, Stroud was instrumental
in creating a strong vision for operational excellence and shared her passion to achieve results as a team. She led the regional vice president team that oversaw store operations across the country — with the responsibility and leadership for more than 10,000 Starbucks retail stores. Stroud served as a key brand leader, driving both strategy in critical workstreams
44 FEDA News & Views
and building a meaningful Starbucks experience for both employees and customers.
“I’m so excited that Debbie will be our new COO. She brings 30 years of high-impact leadership in the restaurant industry to Whataburger,” Whataburger President and CEO Ed Nelson said. “Her experience leading operations in a time of accelerated growth will truly benefit our brand as we continue to grow across 15 states and deliver bold flavors, extraordinary hospitality, and meaningful communities in our 930+ locations. She has a great energy and passion around connecting with people and building great teams, and I know our 51,000 Family Members are going to benefit from her knowledge.”
Yum! Brands Yum! Brands announced the promotion of Shannon Hennessy to The Habit Burger Grill Division CEO, reporting to Yum! CEO David Gibbs, effective June 6. Hennessy, who currently serves as president of The Habit Burger Grill Division, will succeed Russ Bendel, who will retire at the beginning of June following a decades-long career in the restaurant industry. “Shannon is an exceptional, heart-led leader who was
named president of The Habit Burger Grill Division in July 2022 and has since driven meaningful advances for the brand in development, top line initiatives and digital sales growth,” Gibbs said. “With Shannon’s background as KFC Global Division CFO and her nearly 20 years with McKinsey & Company, she has a unique skillset that will be vital as we continue to scale The Habit, offering our franchisees an investment opportunity in an award-winning, fast-casual concept in the better-burger category with a long runway for growth. I’m thrilled Shannon and Russ have worked so closely together to ensure a seamless transition and am confident in the long-term growth of The Habit.” During her time as president, Hennessy has overseen development, franchising, marketing and international expansion. In this role, she has also been responsible for contributing to the brand’s strategy to accelerate growth, nurturing cross-brand collaboration and driving company culture. She joined Yum! in 2020 as the CFO of KFC Global Division, where she was responsible for leading the global finance function and ensuring continued growth and profitability of the KFC business. She also oversaw the brand’s global financial planning, supply chain management and strategy functions.
“I fell in love with The Habit on my first bite of a
charburger, so it’s the thrill of my career to take the reigns as CEO,” Hennessy said. “I’m grateful to have worked alongside Russ over the past eight months, as he is truly a legend in the restaurant industry. I’m also excited to continue working with our passionate team and franchisees to drive accelerated growth for the brand while offering our customers the delicious, handcrafted quality food, meaningful variety and choice and family hospitality they’ve come to expect from The Habit.”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56
