Michelle Heffernan joins Wild Eggs as its vice president of marketing. She brings over 25 years of marketing, sales and advertising experience to the role. She also worked in the restaurant industry for 17 years, where she served as the senior director of marketing for Papa John’s International. Prior to her time at Papa John’s, she worked for Doe Anderson Advertising.
“We are excited to welcome Michelle Heffernan to our team,” said Andy Abbajay, CEO of Wild Eggs, in a statement. “Her extensive experience and impressive track record will undoubtedly be instrumental in shaping the future of Wild Eggs.”
Eggs Up Grill, meanwhile, has tapped Mira Stsiapanau for the role of vice president of operations and training. In the role, Stsiapanau will lead Eggs Up Grill’s field support team, the company’s training function and its flagship restaurant. Most recently, Stsiapanau served as a senior district manager for Denny’s. She started her restaurant career as a regional training manager at Popeyes.
“To deliver these experiences throughout our growing system, we’re passionate about providing every franchise owner with the training, support systems and resources needed to help enable their continued success. With Mira’s extensive experience in operations and training, she will be a key leader in enabling our ongoing growth,” said Ricky Richardson, CEO of Eggs Up Grill, in a statement.
Lauren Tesche-Johnson has joined PrimoHoagies as its director of business development. Tesche-Johnson has experience in various industries, including finance, beverage distribution and healthcare technology. Most recently, she served as the sales director for ThirdWaveRX, a healthcare cost savings company. This appointment comes amid growth for the chain. It passed the 100-location milestone earlier this year and has another 70 new locations in development, according to a statement. In her new role, Tesche-Johnson will spearhead expansion initiatives.
Chef QuentinWelch has been named as the new executive chef of Bourbon Steak DC. Welch has been with Mina Group, the owner of Bourbon Steak DC., for nearly a decade. Most recently, she served on the restaurant group’s task force for new projects. She also worked for José Andrés Group and worked under chefs Thomas Keller and Jean-Georges Vongerichten at Bouchon and Prime Steakhouse.
Also this week, Scooter’s Coffee named Joe Thornton CEO. And TGI Fridays named a new CEO for the second time this year. Board member Weldon Spangler will take over after Brandon Coleman resigned for personal reasons.
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