David Graves, the former president of Pizza Hut U.S., on Monday was named president of Arby’s as part of a shift in top management at the Atlanta-based sandwich chain.
Jeff Baker, who spent four years with Arby’s from 2014 to 2018, was named chief marketing officer for the chain.
“David has a reputation for quickly impacting sales and transforming brands over time,” Scott Murphy, Inspire Brands’ chief brand officer, said in a statement.
Graves spent time in various roles at KFC before he was moved over to Pizza Hut. Paul Brown, cofounder and CEO of Arby’s owner Inspire Brands, said he has “a strong track record of leading transformational success.”
David Graves | Photo courtesy of Arby's
Graves joins a brand that has seen sales slow recently after strong success before the pandemic. U.S. system sales grew 1.8% in 2023, according to data from Restaurant Business sister company Technomic. Almost all of that came from higher unit volumes—the chain closed a net of two locations.
Globally, Arby’s operates more than 3,600 locations, 3,400 of which are in the U.S.
“Arby’s is such an iconic brand, and I am honored to carry its legacy forward,” Graves said in a statement.
Baker, meanwhile, has been with Inspire Brands for 11 years. He had been Arby’s VP of brand advertising and content and most recently has been VP of category management with sister company Buffalo Wild Wings.
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