Dive Brief:
- Corner Bakery Cafe has promoted Erin Hasselgren, who formerly served as chief operating officer, to president, the company said Tuesday in a press release.
- Hasselgren, who has been helping turn the brand around, had been with the company for nearly two decades prior to SSCP’s acquisition last year. He becomes the fifth president in the brand’s history and the first under SSCP’s ownership.
- In his new role, Hasselgren will oversee future expansion in addition to managing day-to-day planning as well as directing and overseeing strategy, people and culture, sales and profit maximization.
Dive Insight:
Hasselgren’s prior experience includes executive roles at Cracker Barrel, Portillo’s and in Burger King’s franchise system. He began his career at Corner Bakery, working his way up from general manager to regional vice president. He left the company after 18 years to become regional vice president,at Cracker Barrel in 2016, per his LinkedIn profile. He also held the role of director of operations at Portillo’s and EVP, chief operating officer at former Burger King operator Toms King from 2021 to 2023. He returned to Corner Bakery in June 2023 as COO following SSCP’s $15 million buyout of the then-bankrupt chain.
“His track record of implementing, executing and delivering brand growth initiatives and improving guest and team member experiences across multiple restaurant segments is exemplary,” Corner Bakery said in its announcement.
In a year under SSCP’s ownership, the chain appears to have turned operations around. During the last half of 2023, the company’s average unit volume grew by $200,000 and reached roughly $2 million. The chain has been working on improving company culture, providing a new training program for workers and implementing a recognition program for team members who hit targets.
As part of its strategy, Corner Bakery has been hiring new leadership, including bringing back Hasselgren and other key executives. Last year, the chain also brought back Bob Hartman as franchise development head. He previously worked for Corner Bakery from 2006 to 2014 as VP of real estate and franchise development.
In addition to Hasselgren’s promotion, the chain hired Becky Foulk as corporate chef to oversee culinary strategy and menu innovation, the press release said. Foulk, who has over 30 years of experience, previously worked as corporate chef at Corner Bakery from 2003 to 2015, per her LinkedIn profile.
