Women in Restaurant Leadership

Fast Casual, Finance, News, Women in Restaurant Leadership

Shake Shack Appoints Michelle Hook Chief Financial Officer

Shake Shack announced the appointment of Michelle Hook as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer, effective May 11, 2026. Hook joins Shake Shack’s executive leadership team and will be responsible for leading financial operations across the Company, including accounting and treasury, financial planning and analysis, tax, investor relations and external reporting. Hook brings more than two […]

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Fast Casual, News, Story, Women in Restaurant Leadership

How Doinita Leahu is Transforming Vicious Biscuit’s Culture

Working in a large banking organization in Romania taught Doinita Leahu that leadership wasn’t just about position, but rather contribution. Although she was just starting her career, she felt her natural inclination to training and development take root—whether it was explaining the art of financing or how invoices were mapped in a system, she discovered […]

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Employee Management, Fast Casual, Finance, News, Women in Restaurant Leadership

Starbird Names Stefanie Lee CFO

Starbird, the San Francisco-based chicken concept, has appointed Stefanie Lee as chief financial officer. The hire adds a seasoned financial executive to a leadership team that is rapidly building out as the brand continues its national expansion. The appointment follows a series of momentum-building moves for Starbird, including the recent appointment of Greg Levin as chief […]

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Fast Food, Menu Innovations, News, Story, Women in Restaurant Leadership

The Women Behind the Whopper’s Next Act

Coin-shaped tots served in a treasure chest carton. Vanilla soft serve crowned with Oreo cookie crumbles, purple franken-candy syrup, and crackling green and violet popping candy. Whopper buns in purple, yellow, and orange hues, colored with purple potato and natural spices. A frozen pineapple beverage topped with tropical cold foam. At Burger King, menu innovation […]

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Employee Management, Fast Casual, Fast Food, Franchising, News, Operations, Women in Restaurant Leadership

Kayla Edidin Named COO of Multi-Concept Franchisee Red Door Brands

Kayla Edidin, former Vice President of Franchise Development for Mike’s Red Tacos, has been named Chief Operating Officer of Red Door Brands. Following a record-setting 2025, during which Edidin led Mike’s Red Tacos to sell more than 200 franchises in its first year, Edidin has now been tapped to grow Red Door Brands, a Knoxville-based […]

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Employee Management, Fast Food, Franchising, Growth, News, Women in Restaurant Leadership

PrimoHoagies Names Angela Coppler SVP of Development

PrimoHoagies, the award-winning Italian specialty sandwich franchise known for its authentic hoagies, premium ingredients, and 30+ year heritage, recently announced the appointment of Angela Coppler as Senior Vice President of Development. The move signals a deliberate evolution in the brand’s growth strategy, focusing on disciplined, performance-driven national scaling designed to attract sophisticated multi-unit operators and investors. […]

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Emerging Concepts, Fast Casual, Growth, News, Story, Women in Restaurant Leadership

Introducing the Fast Casual FutureMakers: Greenlane

This year, QSR magazine introduced Fast Casual FutureMakers, a new annual report showcasing brands and founders pushing the category forward in real time. The 2026 class features three emerging concepts, each representing a different path to growth and innovation. First up was Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks, recognized as the “Rising FutureMaker” for its purpose-driven expansion and […]

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Fast Food, Franchising, News, Story, Women in Restaurant Leadership

Building More Than a Business: A TCBY Franchisee’s Hometown Impact

When Jennifer “Jenny” Brynteson pulled up to the window at her local coffee shop drive-thru, she asked the barista a seemingly random question. She wasn’t even finished building out her first TCBY location in northern Colorado, but she asked it anyway. “How would you like to work for me?” she asked as Shannon Cubbon handed […]

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Franchising, News, Women in Restaurant Leadership

We Sell Restaurants Leads Charge on Boosting Women in Leadership

As more women pursue entrepreneurship and business ownership, some industries are seeing faster progress than others. In business brokerage, a field critical to helping entrepreneurs buy and sell businesses, women still represent just 17% of professionals, underscoring a long-standing gender gap.   At We Sell Restaurants, that dynamic is beginning to shift. Nearly 32% of the nation’s largest restaurant brokerage franchise […]

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News, Women in Restaurant Leadership

Red Door Brands Names Kayla Edidin Chief Operating Officer

Kayla Edidin, former Vice President of Franchise Development for Mike’s Red Tacos, has been named Chief Operating Officer of Red Door Brands. Following a record-setting 2025, during which Edidin led Mike’s Red Tacos to sell more than 200 franchises in its first year, Edidin has now been tapped to grow Red Door Brands, a Knoxville-based […]

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