Leadership

Luna Grill names a COO

Yum veteran Steve Holliday will run operations for the growing Mediterranean fast casual.
Luna Grill COO
Photo courtesy Luna Grill

Mediterranean fast-casual chain Luna Grill on Tuesday named industry veteran Steve Holliday as its new COO.

Holliday, who spent more than 20 years in various roles at Yum Brands, most recently ran a consulting business.

He will take over day-to-day operations, field support, systems and processes for the 52-unit, San Diego, Calif.-based chain.

“I’m thrilled to bring Steve on board,” chain President Rich Pinnella said in a statement. “His extensive expertise in both multi-unit operations and restaurant expansion, combined with a passion for employee development makes him the ideal COO to help propel Luna Grill’s growth plans.”

Pinnella, formerly of Taco Bell, was promoted to president of Luna Grill in June.

Holliday will be tasked with a variety of projects in the coming months, including using tech to optimize operations, off-premise dining and minimizing the restaurant’s footprint.

Luna Grill launched in 2004 and serves a menu of Mediterranean dishes largely made from non-GMO ingredients.

 

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

Despite their complaints, customers keep flocking to Chipotle

The Bottom Line: The chain continued to be a juggernaut last quarter, with strong sales and traffic growth, despite frequent social media complaints about shrinkflation or other challenges.

Operations

Hitting resistance elsewhere, ghost kitchens and virtual concepts find a happy home in family dining

Reality Check: Old-guard chains are finding the alternative operations to be persistently effective side hustles.

Financing

The Tijuana Flats bankruptcy highlights the dangers of menu miscues

The Bottom Line: The fast-casual chain’s problems following new menu debuts in 2021 and 2022 show that adding new items isn’t always the right idea.

Trending

More from our partners