Corner Office Conversations w/ Kevin Stockslager: Erin Hasselgren, President of Corner Bakery Cafe

Looking back at the start of your career, what inspired you to join the restaurant industry? 

I grew up in country clubs, so I was always around hospitality and working with people. I originally went to school for finance, thinking I’d be a financial analyst, but I kept finding myself in restaurant jobs. By my sophomore or junior year, I realized I should stick with hospitality and changed my major to hospitality and tourism. 

Every job I had growing up was in this industry. I love the challenge and the people—guests and team members alike. Helping grow careers and seeing people succeed is a big passion of mine. In this industry, you can start as a dishwasher and become a CEO. Hard work pays off. When a plan comes together, and a team executes it to create a great guest and team member experience, it’s really something special.  

Hospitality is in my blood. And honestly, I just love food—I eat out a lot, and the food industry has always been a passion. 

You spent 19 years with Corner Bakery Cafe early in your career. What excited you about rejoining the brand in 2023 as COO? 
I originally left in 2016 because I wanted to be a VP of Ops, and I didn’t see that opportunity happening soon enough. After 19 years, I also wanted to challenge myself in a different setting. So I joined Cracker Barrel—jumping from $2.4M AUVs to $5M+, with retail added in. It was tough at first, but I mastered it and enjoyed it.  

Then I went to Portillo’s. I’d never done drive-thru before, and their volumes are just crazy. That opened the door for the COO role at Burger King, which gave me valuable fast-food experience. 

In June of 2023, SSCP called shortly after finishing up at Burger King. I’d heard about some of the challenges Corner Bakery was going through, and honestly, it felt like the right time to come back. People from the brand—who feel like family—reached out. My kids grew up with Corner Bakery. I wanted to bring everything I’d learned back to help the brand.  

Corner Bakery is a 34-year-old brand. Helping bring it back for another 34 years is something I can be really proud of. It has a great story, great heritage, and I believe our food is better than the competition. We just need to build more units and grow nationally and internationally. 

Since rejoining, what have been some of the biggest wins for the brand? 
Modeling the P&L was key -  getting back to profitability and reinvesting in the brand without taking debt. We brought back systems and routines we learned from Brinker, which were some of the best in the industry. We reintroduced our mission, vision, and values at the start of this year. That helped us bring back pride, passion, focus and what drives world class culture. 

Sales were up almost strong in our first 1.5 years, at times, double digits. We’ve invested in culinary innovation, sourcing premium ingredients, and elevating the quality of our offering. Over the years, there had been cost-cutting and quality slipped. We’re reversing that. 

We’ve also rolled out kiosks in about a third of our cafes. There’s a learning curve, but they drive traffic and boost check average. Guest satisfaction has been very good, and we're planning more rollouts. 

There’s been a lot of talk about menu development and value items. What are your brand expansion goals over the next few years? 

 
We’re focused on restarting franchising. We’ve already got a third of the system franchised and want to attract strong new operators. 

On the menu side, it’s all about balance—offering value, like the $3.99 croissant sandwiches, and also high-quality gourmet items you can’t get elsewhere. We scramble our own eggs, make our own pancakes, and run scratch kitchens. It takes more effort, but the pride in what we serve is real—and the guests can tell. 

We're also looking at growing in neighborhoods that want a true bakery cafe. International expansion is a focus as well.  We're also exploring non-traditional venues like airports, and we’ve got some exciting developments there. 

When implementing new initiatives like kiosks or value menus, how do you evaluate customer feedback?  
It’s threefold. First, we encourage our cafe teams to get into the dining room and talk with guests directly—that face-to-face engagement is huge. 

Second, we run a secret shopper program across all dayparts and days of the week, which gives us great insight into performance. 

Third, we use guest survey platforms. We started with Qualtrics but switched to SMG in July 2025 for even more visibility. Between guest interactions, secret shops, and SMG feedback, we have a strong pulse on every market. 

What other key priorities do you see for Corner Bakery moving into 2025 and beyond? 
Simplifying operations is a big one—streamlining the menu by focusing on popular, high-quality, cost-effective items and removing those with low sales or high food costs. 

We’re continuing menu innovation too. Acai bowls are coming early next year—we’re a little late to that trend, but it’s a strong category. We’re enhancing our beverage program as well—testing lemonades with real fruit, evaluating agua frescas, and updating our coffee offerings, which have been static for a while. We want our menu to appeal to all age groups and demographics. 

What emerging technologies do you see making the biggest impact in the restaurant industry? 
Kiosks are huge, and we’re testing table-side ordering to give guests flexibility. We’ll still have cashiers, but we want guests to order however they prefer. 

Digital menu boards are next—they’ll let us adjust menus dynamically. AI is also playing a bigger role—our kiosks already track guest patterns, and AI can adjust menus by daypart or traffic flow. 

Our catering business is 30% of sales. We can handle massive, last-minute orders—that’s part of our DNA. But we’re also improving our tech and user experience for online catering. We work with Easy Cater and other third parties, but we’re focused on making the experience faster and more intuitive within our own website and ordering platforms.  

There’s also a big opportunity in our bulk pastries. We’re exploring a new programs for 2026; packaged, gourmet pastry gift offerings could be a whole new revenue channel for us. 

What do you look for in your leadership team? 
Strong discipline and planning. We teach our leaders to build impactful, balanced schedules that are highly focused on opportunity areas each week. With solid systems in place, they can spend more time developing their teams. 

We have a solid career path program. Hourly team members can become trainers, then key employees, shift supervisors, and move into management. Most of our GMs have been with us over 10 years. Some cooks have been here 30 years. That’s special—but we also need fresh talent. 

Our goal is 70% internal promotion and 30% external. As growth accelerates, we’re doubling down on bench strength and succession planning. Our turnover is low—around 50% hourly and under 20% management in most markets. We have always had and continue to work hard at building a culture that people want to stay in. 

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received? 
Hard work pays off. The people who outwork others tend to get the results and the opportunities. You’ve got to be consistent and disciplined. Failure is okay—as long as you don’t repeat it. 

We have a culture of trying new things. Not everything works, but every once in a while, you hit a home run. We set stretch goals for every team, and we celebrate when we achieve them. 

How has your leadership style changed over time? 
I still lead much the same, but with more depth. I’ve always been a fan of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and I continue to read leadership books—our AD team is reading one now. 

What’s evolved is my honesty. I’ve learned that being transparent, even when it’s uncomfortable, builds trust. And with trust, you can move faster as an organization. I try to teach and develop future leaders who could one day do my job. That’s when leadership really comes full circle. 

What keeps you up at night as a restaurant executive? 
Labor costs. They’re only going up, and with tight margins, you’ve got to manage food, paper, and labor tightly. 

Also, culture. We have a lot of tenure, but sometimes that can intimidate new hires. We need to be a place where experienced team members embrace new talent, because that’s how we grow. 

Commodities and inflation are constant concerns, so we never stop looking for cost savings, cost avoidance and efficiencies. You can’t take your eye off the P&L for even a day. 

A fun one—what are your favorite restaurants or things to do in Chicago? 
I still love Portillo’s—Italian beef, hot dogs, and of course Chicago-style pizza. Pequod’s is my favorite for deep dish. We’re also big fans of Lettuce Entertain You—they’re still a go-to for my family. Chicago’s food scene is incredible. There’s always somewhere new to try. 

Last one—what’s your favorite menu item at Corner Bakery? 
When I came back, I rediscovered our pancakes—they’re phenomenal. I ate them every day for two to three months and gained 15 pounds, so I had to stop! The Chicken Pomodori panini is another favorite—it’s just perfection. We have a lot of great items, and I love sampling when I visit restaurants in the field. 

About Erin Hasselgren

Erin Hasselgren leads Corner Bakery Cafe as its President, guiding the brand’s strategic vision, operational excellence, and long-term growth under the ownership of SSCP Management. Appointed to the role in May 2024 after serving as Chief Operating Officer, he is responsible for strategy and planning, people and culture, sales generation, and profit maximization for the beloved neighborhood café brand.

Erin has more than 25 years of experience driving performance in the restaurant industry and is a proven operator and growth strategist. His career spans both franchisor and franchisee leadership, with a track record of delivering aggressive revenue and profit growth, executing brand revitalization initiatives, and enhancing the guest and team member experience across multiple segments. He excels at building high-performing cultures, optimizing operational systems, and leading cross-functional collaboration to achieve ambitious business goals.

Before returning to Corner Bakery Cafe in 2023, Erin served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at TOMS King, one of the largest Burger King franchisees in the U.S., overseeing operations for up to 140 restaurants across multiple states. His earlier leadership roles include Director of Operations at Portillo’s, Regional Vice President at Cracker Barrel, and nearly two decades at Corner Bakery Cafe, where he advanced through senior operational positions covering multiple high-volume regions.

Erin earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Hotel & Restaurant Management from the University of Wisconsin–Stout. Known for his collaborative leadership style, Erin is passionate about developing leaders, driving innovation, and creating exceptional guest experiences that fuel sustainable brand success.

Interested in an executive chat? Reach out to Kevin Stockslager at kevin.stockslager@wraysearch.com.