Restaurant Chief Development Officer Executive Search
Development Leadership That Turns Growth Strategy Into Expansion
Wray Executive Search helps organizations recruit Restaurant Chief Development Officers who can turn ambitious growth strategies into disciplined expansion. Our Chief Development Officer executive search process identifies proven leaders with the development expertise, business acumen, and cross-functional leadership required to build sustainable growth.
For more than 50 years, Wray has recruited senior executives for restaurant, franchise, hospitality, and other consumer-facing organizations. We understand that the right development executive must do more than open locations. They must understand where and how the organization should grow—and build the team and systems to make that growth possible.
Trust Earned Through Decades of Success
96%
Search Completion Rate
94%
Offer Acceptance Rate
50+
Years as Industry Specialists
Restaurant & Franchise Executive Search
92%
Placement Retention Rate
21 Days
Average to 1st Vetted Slate of Candidate
The Restaurant Chief Development Officer Role Has Evolved
Why Wray Search for Restaurant Chief Development Officer Recruiting?
Hiring a Chief Development Officer requires more than identifying executives who have previously held a development title. Organizations need to understand how candidates have grown businesses, the environments in which they have succeeded, the quality of that growth, and whether their experience translates to the company's next stage.
Wray Executive Search brings more than five decades of experience recruiting executives across restaurant, franchise, hospitality, and multi-unit organizations. Our consultants understand the relationship between development, operations, finance, real estate, marketing, and franchisee performance, allowing us to evaluate candidates within the context of the entire business.
Our relationships also extend beyond executives actively looking for their next position. Many accomplished development leaders are already building brands, opening markets, managing pipelines, and leading teams. Reaching those candidates requires proactive market research, direct outreach, industry credibility, and relationships developed over time.
That combination of specialization and access allows Wray to identify development executives whose experience aligns with the organization's growth strategy—not simply candidates whose résumés contain the right keywords.
Development leadership has become increasingly strategic as restaurant and franchise organizations pursue growth across new markets, formats, ownership models, and channels. A Restaurant Chief Development Officer may oversee far more than real estate or franchise sales, depending on the structure and growth strategy of the organization.
Today's restaurant CDO may be responsible for franchise development, market planning, real estate, new-unit development, site selection, construction, partnerships, acquisitions, and other strategic growth initiatives. The role frequently requires close collaboration with the CEO, CFO, COO, marketing leadership, franchise operations, and investors to ensure expansion decisions support the broader business strategy.
For franchise organizations, the mandate can be even more complex. Development leaders must balance the pace of expansion with franchisee quality, unit economics, available whitespace, market potential, operational readiness, and the long-term health of the franchise system.
Typical Restaurant Chief Development Officer responsibilities may include:
Developing and executing enterprise growth strategies
Leading franchise development and expansion
Identifying priority markets and whitespace opportunities
Building and managing development pipelines
Evaluating franchisee and multi-unit operator candidates
Leading real estate and site-selection strategy
Overseeing new-unit development
Aligning development goals with operations and finance
Evaluating strategic partnerships and acquisition opportunities
Building development teams and organizational infrastructure
Establishing growth metrics and accountability
Communicating development strategy to CEOs, boards, and investors
The exact mandate varies by organization, which is why successful Chief Development Officer recruiting begins by defining what the business actually needs the executive to accomplish.
Trusted by the Leading Restaurant
and Franchise Organizations
Why Organizations Partner with Wray Executive Search
Finding exceptional development leadership requires more than identifying candidates with strong credentials.
Successful development executives combine strategic vision, operational expertise, and industry knowledge.
6 Points of Distinction
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Our Leadership
Our consultants have decades of industry specialization in restaurant, franchise, and food service.
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Wide Scope
Wray Executive Search offers a wide scope of industry knowledge and experience. We provide a wide array of services and have an extensive network in these arenas.
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Impactful Expertise
The cross-functional, wide-reaching expertise our company provides can have a deep impact on your business. We serve client needs internationally, nationally, regionally and locally.
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Unique Guarantees
We offer a full one-year replacement guarantee ensuring that our candidates will bring value long term. If, for some reason, the hired candidate does not work out, we will find a replacement.
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Diverse Consultants
Our consultants bring varied experience from all segments of the industry. We offer broad-based, cross-functional expertise to enhance our partnership.
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Competitive, Comprehensive Rates
There are no surprises when it comes to our fees. We maintain highly competitive performance-based rates founded upon our robust executive search record.
Our Team of Chief Development Executive Recruiters
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Kevin Stockslager
Managing Partner
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Ray Kelley
Managing Partner
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Rebecca Patt
SVP & Partner
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Bob Gershberg
Executive Advisor
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Joe Radice
Advisor
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Jonathan Kelley
Vice President of Recruiting
Recruiting Restaurant Development Leaders Who Drive Strategic Expansion
Successful restaurant expansion requires more than identifying attractive markets. It demands executive leadership capable of aligning real estate strategy, site selection, construction, franchise development, and capital investment with long-term business objectives.
At Wray Executive Search, we specialize in Restaurant Chief Development Officer Executive Search, helping restaurant brands, franchise organizations, and private equity-backed companies identify development executives who can accelerate unit growth while protecting profitability and brand integrity.
Whether your organization is entering new markets, expanding its restaurant footprint, optimizing its development pipeline, or preparing for its next phase of growth, our executive recruiters connect you with leaders who understand the complexities of scaling restaurant operations.
What Makes an Exceptional Restaurant Chief Development Officer?
The strongest restaurant development executives combine strategic vision with disciplined execution. They understand that successful expansion is measured not simply by the number of restaurants opened, but by the long-term performance and profitability of those locations.
At Wray Executive Search, we evaluate candidates based on their ability to lead complex development initiatives, manage cross-functional teams, and execute expansion strategies aligned with organizational goals.
Key qualifications include:
Multi-unit restaurant development: Experience leading development programs across regional, national, or international restaurant systems.
Real estate expertise: Strong capabilities in market analysis, site selection, lease negotiation, and real estate portfolio strategy.
Construction and project management: Experience overseeing restaurant construction, development budgets, project timelines, and vendor relationships.
Financial acumen: Understanding of development economics, capital expenditures, return on invested capital, and restaurant-level profitability.
Franchise development knowledge: Experience navigating franchise agreements, territory development, franchisee relationships, and systemwide expansion.
Strategic market planning: Ability to identify high-potential markets and prioritize development opportunities based on business objectives.
Executive leadership: Proven ability to collaborate with CEOs, CFOs, COOs, boards, investors, and development teams.
Our executive search process evaluates both demonstrated development results and the leadership qualities necessary to scale restaurant organizations successfully.
Find Your Next Restaurant Chief Development Officer
Growth creates opportunity, but it also creates complexity. The right Restaurant Chief Development Officer can help an organization determine where to grow, how quickly to expand, what infrastructure is required, and how development decisions support the broader business strategy.
Whether you're building a development function, accelerating franchise growth, entering new markets, expanding a restaurant system, or preparing a private equity-backed organization for its next stage, Wray Executive Search can help identify the executive leadership required to move forward.
If you are looking to be considered for opportunities, go to our candidate page and submit your resume.
Restaurant Chief Development Officer Executive Search FAQs
What does a Chief Development Officer do in a restaurant company?
A restaurant Chief Development Officer oversees strategies and activities related to new restaurant development. Responsibilities commonly include real estate planning, site selection, construction, market expansion, development budgets, and coordination with operations and finance teams. In franchise organizations, the position may also include franchise development and territory expansion.
What is the difference between a restaurant Chief Development Officer and a Chief Growth Officer?
A restaurant Chief Development Officer typically focuses on physical expansion, including new locations, real estate, construction, and development planning. A Chief Growth Officer generally oversees broader revenue and enterprise growth strategies, which may include marketing, customer acquisition, franchise growth, and strategic partnerships.
When should a restaurant company hire a Chief Development Officer?
Restaurant organizations often hire a CDO when accelerating new unit development, expanding into additional geographic markets, managing increasingly complex real estate portfolios, or establishing a more structured development function.
What qualifications should a restaurant Chief Development Officer have?
Strong candidates typically have executive-level experience in multi-unit restaurant development, commercial real estate, site selection, construction oversight, financial planning, and cross-functional leadership. Franchise experience may also be important depending on the organization's operating model.
How does a Chief Development Officer support restaurant profitability?
A CDO supports profitability by identifying attractive markets, selecting viable locations, managing development costs, coordinating construction timelines, and aligning expansion decisions with financial and operational objectives.
Do franchise restaurant companies need a Chief Development Officer?
Many growing franchise restaurant organizations benefit from dedicated development leadership. Depending on the franchise system, a CDO may oversee franchise development agreements, territory planning, real estate strategy, new unit openings, or a combination of these responsibilities.
Why use a restaurant executive search firm to recruit a Chief Development Officer?
A specialized restaurant executive search firm understands the industry's development challenges and can identify experienced executives with relevant multi-unit growth, real estate, construction, and leadership backgrounds. Industry expertise also supports more effective candidate evaluation and organizational alignment.
How long does a restaurant Chief Development Officer executive search take?
The timeline varies depending on the scope of the position, candidate requirements, geographic considerations, and organizational complexity. A retained executive search process typically includes position definition, candidate identification, assessment, interviews, and final selection.
Speak With Our Restaurant Executive Search Team
Hire a Restaurant Chief Development Officer Who Can Execute Your Expansion Strategy
Successful restaurant development requires disciplined planning, strong financial judgment, operational alignment, and executive leadership capable of turning growth objectives into profitable locations.
Wray Executive Search helps restaurant brands, franchise organizations, and private equity-backed companies identify Chief Development Officers who can lead real estate strategy, accelerate new unit development, and build scalable expansion programs.
Whether you're establishing a development function, replacing an executive, or preparing your restaurant organization for its next stage of growth, our team can help you identify the right leader.