Illustration by Restaurant Business staff.
P.F. Chang’s hired Holly Smith as its new chief marketing officer. Smith was most recently chief concept officer of Yardbird, Rosa Mexicano and Shell Shack for more than three years. She has also held marketing roles with SPB Hospitality, Macaroni Grill and Joe’s Crab Shack. Smith joins P.F. Chang’s as it enters a new chapter under new CEO Jim Mazany and will be responsible for evolving the brand and growing its market presence. She replaces Sonika Patel, who had been with P.F. Chang’s for about two years.
BJ’s Restaurants promoted Christopher Pinsak to COO. Pinsak joined BJ’s in 2004 as a regional VP of operations and rose to senior VP of operations in 2010 and then chief restaurant operations officer in 2024. He began his career at Brinker International and also spent time as director of operations for Wood Ranch BBQ before landing at BJ’s. He will help guide the chain’s turnaround strategy under CEO Lyle Tick.
Taco Bamba has appointed Michael Pereira as CEO to lead the 16-location concept’s expansion alongside Investors Management Corporation. Pereira has over 30 years experience scaling brands such as The Cheesecake Factory, Velvet Taco and Snooze. Washington, D.C.-based Taco Bamba was founded by Chef Victor Albisu.
Mike Ball has been named vice president of franchise operations for Vicious Biscuit. Ball was previously the chain’s vice president of operations, but now he will lead a newly defined, franchise-dedicated role focused exclusively on franchise partner success as the chain prepares for accelerated national expansion. Before joining Vicious Biscuit in 2020, Ball held leadership roles with Cracker Barrel, Liberty Taproom & Grill and Chick-fil-A.
Edible Brands, parent company of Edible Arrangements and Roti Mediterranean Grill, appointed Angela Johnson as CMO, expanding her role to lead marketing and product innovation. Johnson joined Edible in 2021 as Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer and has helped shape the company’s growth through category expansion, product innovation and new offerings.
Shaila Parikh as the new COO of ezCater. Parikh brings more than 20 years of experience in operations, strategy and consulting to the role. She is tasked with leading ezCater’s customer care and supply chain operations to serve the company’s enterprise customers and restaurant partners nationwide.
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