Marketing

Outback parent Bloomin' Brands names a new CMO

Danielle Vona, a veteran of Sonic and Pepsico, moves up from CMO of Outback.
Bloomin' Brands cmo
Photograph: Shutterstock

Bloomin’ Brands has promoted Danielle Vona to CMO and SVP, the parent of Outback Steakhouse and Carrabba’s Italian Grill announced Tuesday.

In her new role, she also becomes a member of Bloomin’s Executive Leadership Team.

Vona was previously CMO for Outback, Bloomin’s largest brand by sales and unit count. Earlier, she held the same post at Carrabba’s.

Before rejoining Bloomin’ in 2019 for the Outback post, Vona held senior marketing positions at Sonic Drive-Ins and Pepsico.

“Danielle has been instrumental in the evolution of our marketing strategy, helping us shift to a more effective digital approach,” David Deno, Bloomin’s CEO, said in a statement. “Her consumer-centric expertise will bring renewed insight to the executive team.”

Bloomin’s other holdings include Bonefish Grill, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar, Aussie Grill by Outback and the virtual concept Tender Shack. The company owns or operates 1,450 casual-dining restaurants in total.

Danielle Vona

 

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Leadership

Meet the restaurant fixer who now owns Etta

Tech entrepreneur Johann Moonesinghe suddenly finds himself leading a growing group of restaurants. His secret? He doesn't expect to make a profit.

Financing

Looking for the next Chipotle? These 3 chains are already there

The Bottom Line: Wingstop, Raising Cane’s and Jersey Mike’s have broken free from the pack of well-established growth chains. Here’s why this trio stands out.

Financing

For Starbucks, 2 years of change hasn't yielded promised results

The Bottom Line: The coffee shop giant’s sales struggles worsened earlier this year, despite a flurry of efforts to improve operations and employee satisfaction.

Trending

More from our partners