Leadership

A 1st for Shake Shack: A CMO

The fast-casual chain hired marketer Jay Livingston away from the BarkBox subscription service.
Photograph: Shutterstock

Shake Shack has appointed its first chief marketing officer, the company announced Monday.

Jay Livingston comes to the fast-growing burger chain after serving as CMO for Bark, the parent company of dog-focused subscription box service BarkBox. Livingston also held executive marketing positions for two decades with Bank of America.

Shake Shack’s marketing department had previously been helmed by Edwin Bragg, vice president of marketing and communications, who left the fast-casual chain in June for a family move.

Refining Shake Shack’s touchscreen kiosks will be one of Livingston’s immediate goals, he told Adweek magazine.

Jay Livingston

Jay Livingston

Livingston spent the last week working at Shake Shack units in New York City and New Jersey, according to the article.

“I was working in full uniform,” he said. “I was in every station—the grill, the shake station, and I worked the front of the house.”

Shake Shack, known for its extremely limited menu, made headlines earlier this month when it launched its Chick’n Bites nationwide. The bite-sized chicken pieces are cooked sous vide before being breaded and fried.

 

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