Casual-dining veteran David Ellis has been named chief brand officer of Uncle Julio’s Mexican from Scratch, the polished-casual chain acquired in late 2017 by private-equity giant L Catterton Partners.
Ellis comes to the 31-unit operation after serving as VP of marketing and culinary for O’Charley’s. Earlier, he held executive posts at Olive Garden and Red Lobster, and logged experience in the quick-service market at KFC.
“David brings an extensive background in building strong restaurant brands to this position,” Uncle Julio’s CEO Tom Vogel said in a statement. He noted that the appointment is part of an expansion of the regional chain’s management team.
L Catterton also holds stakes in Velvet Taco, Hopdoddy Burger Bar, P.F. Chang’s and Piada Italian Street Food, among other growth brands. It bought Uncle Julio’s in October for an undisclosed price with the stated purpose of accelerating the 32-year-old concept’s growth. At the time, the chain had 29 locations.
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