Leadership

Former Roti exec joins fast-casual Rasa as COO

Trey Moats says "the sky's the limit" on growth for the soon-to-be five-unit Indian concept.
Rasa Indian restaurant chain
Rasa aims to make fast-casual Indian cuisine more accessible./Photo courtesy of Rasa.

The fast-casual Indian concept Rasa has named Trey Moats chief operating officer, the company said Thursday.

Moats is the former COO of Roti, where he led 42 units across the U.S. Before that, he was an executive with Potbelly Sandwich Works, helping to grow that chain in the Northeast region.

“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Trey to the team,” said Rasa co-CEO Sahil Rahman in a statement. “[Moats’] knowledge of the local market, operational expertise and experience scaling fast-casual brands, both regionally and nationally, gives us the support we need to scale Rasa consciously and sustainably.”

Sahil Rahman and Trey Moats

Rasa co-founder and co-CEO Rahul Vinod (left) and Trey Moats./Photo courtesy of Rasa.

The soon-to-be-five-unit Rasa last year closed on a Series A round of funding with Rellevant Partners that brought former Starbucks COO Troy Alstead to its board.

Founded by Rahman and Rahul Vinod, the Washington, D.C.-based concept is designed to make authentic Indian food more accessible.

Moats in a statement said, “I am excited to help bring Rasa to communities across the U.S. and make Indian food more accessible and approachable to all. The sky’s the limit for Rasa’s growth in the coming years.”

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