Hooters Names Bruce Skala Chief Marketing Officer
ELEVATION OF INNOVATOR IN SPORTS PARTNERSHIP, FOOD & BEVERAGE, LICENSING/PROMOTIONS AND THE OMNICHANNEL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE FOLLOWS SERIES OF MAJOR MILESTONES FOR ICONIC BRAND
Hooters Names Bruce Skala Chief Marketing Officer
ATLANTA (June 13, 2022) — Hooters, the original American wing joint, today announced
Bruce Skala has been promoted to chief marketing officer (CMO) of HOA Brands, the franchisor and operator of more than 400 Hooters restaurants. As CMO, Skala will oversee global marketing campaigns for Hooters and fast-casual concept hoots wings as well as drive national promotions for both company and franchisee restaurant locations. Skala’s roster of responsibilities in the role include traditional and social media marketing initiatives, digital customer engagement, brand licensing programs and alliances and partnerships in key categories ranging from sports betting and gaming to the beverage portfolio.
“Bruce has continually showcased his strategic thinking and first-mover instincts to celebrate and promote our restaurants through groundbreaking initiatives to uphold and extend our brands,” said HOA Brands LLC President and CEO Sal Melilli. “We are proud to have Bruce serve as our Chief Marketing Officer and to further the company’s world-renowned status.” “I am honored to be named Chief Marketing Officer and to further my stewardship of HOA Brands alongside a phenomenal team,” Skala said. “I am proud of what Hooters has accomplished in bolstering its standing as a prominent brand, and I’m eager to continue building on that success.”
Throughout his nine-year career with the company, Skala has demonstrated tremendous leadership skills and creative thinking in several roles, most recently as senior vice president of marketing. He has led several standout campaigns during a challenging time for the industry and has rallied his team to keep the brand relevant, most recently spearheading partnerships with legendary golfer and two-time major champion John Daly and John Daly II, a rising star and Hooters’ first name, image and likeness (NIL) ambassador. He recently shepherded the re-signing of Chase Elliott, NASCAR’s most popular driver, and Hooters’ sponsorship of Elliott’s No. 9 Hedrick Motorsports car. Skala also manages a successful alliance program with celebrities, influencers and sports properties which has kept the brand extremely connected with its consumers.
An industry veteran with 25 years of food service and brand marketing experience, Skala earned the prestigious 2021 VIBE Innovator Award for his efforts creating breakthrough programs to sustain business operations and meet customer demand particularly during the pandemic. Skala also helped Hooters increase brand engagement and sales by implementing Smart QR menu technology for guests to view branded video content and discover more beer and cocktail options, providing cocktails, packaged beer and wine to-go, offering take-home cocktail kits and
Hooters on the Fly, a curbside and to-go delivery space for guests to enjoy their favorite Hootersmeal. This summer he has worked with Mountain Dew on “The Ultimate Wingman” promotion. Prior to joining HOA Brands in 2013, Skala headed field marketing for Heineken USA and held multiple roles for The Coca-Cola Company. He is a graduate of Ohio University.
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Zaxby’s Names New Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer
DALLAS, June 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — RAVE Restaurant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: RAVE), the parent company of Pizza Inn and Pie Five Pizza, yesterday announced the promotion of Mike Burns, to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer effective June 27, 2022. Burns previously served as RAVE’S Chief Operations Officer.
“Mike’s influence as a leader is felt throughout the company daily. Not only does he have a reputation for creating high-performing teams, he has improved our supply chain and our franchise development initiatives,” says Mark Schwarz, Chairman of RAVE Restaurant Group. “Overall, he has helped us shore up operations and create efficiencies across both brands, contributing to our eight consecutive quarters of profitability.”
Prior to joining RAVE, Burns served as Vice President of Operations for Pei Wei where he led a team of multi-unit operators responsible for 80 restaurants in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Earlier in his career, Burns served as Regional Vice President, where he oversaw more than 175 Bojangles’ corporate restaurant locations.
“RAVE is a bold and nimble organization that gives me the opportunity to share my industry knowledge and impact two high potential brands,” says Mike Burns, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “Our franchisees and support team are some of the hardest working professionals in the restaurant industry and one of the many reasons we are growing.”
“Mike’s leadership has helped put RAVE in a notable position, especially in light of the operational and supply chain issues facing all brands,” says Brandon Solano, President and CEO, RAVE Restaurant Group. “The EVP and COO title befits Mike’s contributions to our business and the high regard in which he is held by our team,” adds Solano.
For more information about RAVE Restaurant Group, please visit raverg.com.
About RAVE Restaurant Group, Inc.
Dallas-based RAVE Restaurant Group [NASDAQ: RAVE] has inspired restaurant innovation and countless customer smiles with its trailblazing pizza concepts. The Company owns, franchises, licenses and supplies Pie Five and Pizza Inn restaurants operating domestically and internationally. The Pizza Inn experience is unlike your typical buffet. Since 1958, Pizza Inn’s house-made dough, house-shredded 100% whole milk mozzarella cheese, fresh ingredients and house-made signature sauce combined with friendly service solidified the brand to become America’s favorite hometown pizza place. This, in addition to its small-town vibe, are the hallmarks of Pizza Inn restaurants. In 2011, RAVE introduced Pie Five Pizza, pioneering a fast-casual pizza brand that transformed the classic pizzeria into a concept offering personalization, sophisticated ingredients and speed. Pie Five’s craft pizzas are baked fresh daily and feature house-made ingredients, creative recipes and craveable crust creations. For more information, visit www.raverg.com, and follow on Instagram @pizzainnofficial and @piefivepizza.
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Fransmart Hires for Multi-Billion Dollar Portfolio of Category-Leading Franchise Brands
Fazoli’s Promotes Key Leaders Within Best-in-Class Team
BRIX Holdings, LLC Appoints New Chief Financial Officer Pamela Hunt
Jun 01, 2022, 09:37 ET
DALLAS, June 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — BRIX Holdings, LLC, a Dallas-based multi-brand restaurant management and franchising company specializing in chains with superior products and attractive growth prospects, today announced the appointment of Pamela Hunt as its chief financial officer. Hunt has more than 20 years of experience as a financial and operational leader for global organizations. In her new position, Hunt will oversee the BRIX Holdings’ finance organization and all financial activities including accounting, financial planning and analysis, treasury, and tax for the BRIX Holdings’ portfolio companies, which includes Friendly’s Restaurants, Orange Leaf, Red Mango, Smoothie Factory and other brands.
“This is an exciting time to be joining BRIX Holdings. With its strong management team, portfolio of quality brands, and solid shared-services platform, the company is poised for growth,” said Hunt. “I look forward to working with the entire BRIX team to support our restaurants and franchise owners and to expanding the BRIX portfolio.”
Hunt was most recently vice president of finance and accounting at Bioworld Merchandising, a manufacturer and distributor of headwear and related accessories, where she led all aspects of the company’s financial activities. Prior to that, Hunt oversaw the accounting operations of On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina, a chain of Tex-Mex casual dining restaurants, as the brand’s vice president and controller.
“We are delighted to have Pam join the BRIX team as we reimagine and expand the great consumer brands in our portfolio. Her proven financial expertise and leadership skills, as well as her operational experience, will help drive our next phase of growth,” said John Antioco, Chairman of BRIX Holdings.
For more information about BRIX Holdings, visit https://brixholdings.com/.
About BRIX Holdings, LLC:
BRIX Holdings, LLC is a Dallas-based multi brand restaurant management and franchising company specializing in chains with superior products and attractive growth prospects. BRIX Holdings focuses on brands that are both attractive to the rapidly expanding single-unit owner/operator franchise market segment and have the potential to grow into national and international award-winning chains. The current BRIX Holdings’ portfolio includes the Red Mango® Yogurt Café Juice Bar, Smoothie Factory® Juice Bar, Orange Leaf® and Friendly’s®.
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Chowly Appoints Kristin Peterson as Senior Vice President of Marketing
Veteran Digital Marketing & Brand Strategist to Amplify Awareness and Build Product Demand
Kristin Peterson joins Chowly as senior vice president of marketing.
CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Chowly, a restaurant technology company that integrates third-party delivery marketplaces with point-of-sale (POS) systems, today announced Kristin Peterson as the company’s senior vice president of marketing. Her in-depth understanding of the restaurant industry, coupled with her vast experience as a digital marketer, will allow her to further elevate the Chowly brand – highlighting how the company can provide streamlined technology solutions for restaurants of all sizes.
“I’ve always enjoyed this industry and love the emotional connections people can have when sharing a meal, so I’m thrilled to be a part of a growing team who recognizes the importance of redefining the restaurant space by digitizing the ordering process,” said Kristin Peterson, SVP of Marketing, Chowly. “The restaurant industry can be notoriously slow to adopt new technology, but we’ve undergone years’ worth of innovation since COVID-19. Chowly presents a compelling solution to a very real, present-day problem and we want restaurants to focus on what they do best: focusing on the food and patrons, while running their business efficiently.”
In this role, Peterson will focus on positioning Chowly as a brand that goes beyond its functional role of enhancing a restaurant’s operations and touches the hearts of its customers and employees alike. Peterson also seeks to expand the brand narrative and will continue to build trust with small, midsize and enterprise restaurant operators, demonstrating how Chowly is at the forefront of industry-wide changes and is a scalable technology solution that can continue to accelerate revenue growth in a post-pandemic future.
“Chowly is at an inflection point in its journey to change the hospitality space, and Kristin is here to tell the story of how we’ve become a foundational problem solver for some of the biggest challenges that restaurants face,” said Sterling Douglass, co-founder and CEO, Chowly. “Kristin’s understanding and firsthand experience at leading tech-forward restaurant brands showcases her familiarity with the industry’s most inherent struggles. She is joining a team committed to breaking down the technological barriers in our space and acting as an unapologetic advocate for restaurants, both big and small.”
Peterson joins the Chowly team with nearly two decades of marketing, advertising and branding experience. Peterson has held several leadership positions at The Richards Group, working as a team lead and group director for brands like Corona Beer, Red Lobster and Ruth’s Chris Steak House. Most recently, Peterson served as Chief Marketing Officer for Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, the largest barbecue franchise in the United States, where she worked with Chowly as a key technology partner.
About Chowly
Chowly is a leading POS integration company that enables restaurants to expand and maintain their off-premise capabilities. Chowly seamlessly integrates orders from the industry’s largest platforms – such as Grubhub, Ubereats, Doordash, Google and hundreds more – directly into POS. Chowly’s solution features over 12,000 restaurants and continues to solidify the company’s mission of simplifying technology for restaurants. To learn more, visit https://chowly.com/.
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