Cafe Rio Names Steve Vaughan President and CFO

Mexican fast-casual chain Cafe Rio announced today that Steve Vaughan will join the company as president and CFO, effective July 1. In this role, Vaughan will oversee the expansion of 80-unit Cafe Rio, which currently operates restaurants in 11 states.

In joining Cafe Rio, Vaughan will exit his post as executive vice president of franchise operations, finance and planning at Sonic Corp., franchisor of the Sonic Drive-In chain. Vaughan’s career at Sonic spanned more than 23 years, a time frame during which the brand’s system-wide sales grew from $850 million to more than $4.2 billion.

"Cafe Rio's focus on quality ingredients, made from scratch meals and energetic dining atmosphere continues to be a recipe of success," Vaughan said in a statement. "I am very excited about joining the Cafe Rio team and utilizing the experience I've gained at Sonic to help facilitate their growth plans."

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

Financing

In Red Lobster, a symbol of the challenges with casual dining

The Bottom Line: Consumers have shifted dining toward convenience or occasions, and that has created havoc for full-service restaurant chains. How can these companies get customers back?

Financing

Crumbl may be the next frozen yogurt, or the next Krispy Kreme

The Bottom Line: With word that the chain’s unit volumes took a nosedive last year, its future, and that of its operators, depends on what the brand does next.

Technology

4 things we learned in a wild week for restaurant tech

Tech Check: If you blinked, you may have missed three funding rounds, two acquisitions, a “never-before-seen” new product and a bold executive poaching. Let’s get caught up.

Trending

More from our partners