Executive Interview: Joseph Ortiz, President & COO, Farmer Boys

Make it stand out

Looking back at the early part of your career, what drew you to the restaurant industry, and what keeps you motivated today?

I got into the industry almost by accident during grad school. A mentor hired me for an internship, and I was immediately drawn to the energy. I didn’t have much work experience, but the pace was exciting and challenging.

What’s kept me here is how complex and dynamic the industry really is. People think restaurants are simple, but scaling and sustaining a brand is incredibly hard—you have to earn each guest’s visit every single day in a highly competitive environment. There’s always something new: economic shifts, regulations, changing consumer habits.

I love solving problems, and this industry forces you to think fast and adapt. When I’ve stepped away, I’ve found myself bored. It’s a rare mix of operational complexity, human connection, and constant change—and that keeps me motivated.

What attracted you to join Farmer Boys in 2020?

After CKE Restaurants moved to Nashville, I stayed in California for family reasons and took a role at Deloitte doing CFO-suite consulting. It was great experience but involved constant travel. Then I joined Bakemark, a large bakery manufacturing company. It was stable during COVID but lacked the dynamic, fast-moving nature I love about restaurants.

Farmer Boys reached out several times, and when I engaged, the role immediately stood out. It was broad—covering finance, accounting, technology, and general business operations—which gave me a chance to make a meaningful impact quickly. What really sealed it was the ownership group. The founders are genuinely good people who care deeply about their team, their franchisees, and doing business the right way.

It felt like a place where I could help drive real change while working alongside people with integrity. That combination was too good to pass up.

You joined right around the onset of the COVID pandemic. Looking back at that time, what was the most strategic lesson you and the leadership team learned?

Flexibility became everything. COVID completely upended how we operated—staffing, safety protocols, supply chain, guest behavior. We had to constantly adapt while also supporting people who were dealing with illness, loss, and fear.

The people who stayed through that period built a unique bond. It tested all of us and reshaped our culture. Now we’re working to reestablish pre-COVID standards, but with the resilience we developed during that time.

The biggest lesson was that you can’t rely on the old playbook. Even long-held industry truths can be overturned overnight. Leaders have to stay open-minded and willing to pivot quickly.

Since moving into the President/COO role three years ago, what have been the biggest wins for the brand from your perspective?

Strengthening our franchisee relationships has been huge. They’re happier and more engaged, and that matters—once those relationships break down, they’re very hard to repair. We’ve focused on listening, following through, and solving long-standing issues that had frustrated operators.

We’ve also made real progress modernizing the business. Our tech stack was about 15 years behind; now it’s closer to six or seven. There’s still work ahead, but we’re closing the gap quickly and, more importantly, building trust by doing what we say we’ll do.

That shift—from overpromising to delivering—has made a noticeable difference. People see momentum now, and that creates confidence.

Farmer Boys is a 44-year-old brand, family founded, with great name recognition and reputation in the current operating markets. How do you balance the long, storied history of the brand while expanding into new markets and implementing strategies to attract the next generation of consumers?

It’s definitely a balancing act. We’ve kept certain harder-to-execute elements—like fresh, made-to-order food—that many competitors abandoned for efficiency. In the past, those weren’t strong selling points, but now they really differentiate us.

At the same time, we can’t be stuck in the past. We’re pressure-testing everything—menu, branding, restaurant design, guest communication—to make sure it resonates with younger guests while still feeling familiar to our loyal base. 

The key is staying rooted in what makes us special while being honest about where we need to evolve. It’s about protecting our DNA but refusing to let tradition block progress.

What are your current growth plans?

Right now, our focus is Arizona. We’ve opened three Farmer Boys restaurants in Phoenix with several more coming this year, and Tucson is next on our radar. People often ask about Salt Lake City, Colorado, and Texas, and while those are intriguing, we want to prove our model in Arizona first before pushing further out.

What excites people in new markets is that we do full made-to-order breakfast through the drive-thru—a rare and difficult thing to execute well. Combine that with high-quality, familiar food that isn’t overly gimmicky, and it makes us stand out. It’s a concept people understand quickly, which gives us confidence in its broader appeal.

What’s the most successful technology investment your team at Farmer Boys has made?

Launching native online ordering was a major milestone. It was one of my top priorities as president, and it’s been a game changer in driving digital growth and building loyalty.

We’ve also shifted our media strategy. We used to rely heavily on broadcast, but we’ve moved toward digital, social, and streaming to better reach our guests where they are today.

On the backend, we’re modernizing our data infrastructure. We want clean, accurate data that helps people make faster, better decisions without turning restaurant leaders into analysts. The goal is to give them just what they need, when they need it, so they can focus on running great restaurants.

What traits do you look for in building your leadership team?

Focus, follow-through, and accountability. When I arrived, there was a lot of activity but not enough execution. We’ve worked hard to shift the culture to one that questions why we do things and drives for results, not just motion.

I also emphasize direct, constructive feedback. Many people shy away from hard conversations, but most team members want to know how they can improve. We encourage candid, respectful dialogue, and it’s made a big difference.

That openness builds trust and speeds up development. People feel supported but also know we expect performance.

What’s the best career advice you’ve received?

Don’t make big decisions when you’re on a high high or a low low. Maybe 10% of your time is spent in those extremes—the other 90% is in the middle. Wait until you’re back at baseline to make major calls.

I apply that to hiring too. Candidates are often nervous, which isn’t who they are day-to-day. I try to relax them and have a real conversation. It’s about finding the right mutual fit, not just filling a role quickly.

What do you enjoy outside of work?

Time with my family. My son’s nine and into sports, and my three-year-old daughter is a little fashionista—they keep me grounded. I also mentor younger professionals when they reach out. 

I like giving them a realistic view of career growth. My own path hasn’t been linear; it’s been about jumping into messy situations and fixing problems others avoided. Showing people there’s no one right path to leadership gives me a lot of satisfaction.

And your go-to Farmer Boys order?

The sourdough chicken avocado sandwich—or the Hog Heaven breakfast burrito. It’s massive, so I don’t get it often, but when I do, it absolutely hits the spot.