Dive Brief:
- Dog Haus has appointed Michael Montagano as CEO effective September, the restaurant announced Monday in an email to Restaurant Dive.
- Montagano will leave his role as CEO of Kitchen United, according to a post on the company’s LinkedIn profile.
- Montagano will be Dog Haus’ first CEO. Since 2010, the brand has been led by co-founders Hagop Giragossian, Quasim Riaz and André Vener, to whom Montagano will report.
Dive Insight:
Montagano’s experience with ghost kitchens and technology could help drive the restaurant's off-premise growth. Dog Haus’ virtual brands contribute 20% incremental system-wide sales while its off-premise sales constitute nearly half of company revenue, according to the press release.
Montagano served on the Dog Haus board for three years and has worked with the brand as a commercial partner since 2018. In 2020, he was named CEO of Kitchen United after spending two years as the ghost kitchen operator’s chief financial officer, according to his LinkedIn profile. In his roles, Montagano has acquired significant experience working with restaurant brands in different market segments.
“Michael’s expertise in growing franchises, expanding virtual brands and delivery, and implementing new technologies and marketing strategies is exactly what we need as we capitalize on our momentum in the marketplace,” Vener said in the press release.
Montagano said he would focus on strategic efforts “to enhance our technology, expand our brands, and maximize our online and in-store strategy.”
Dog Haus has focused its growth on franchising and a suite of virtual brands it calls “The Absolute Brands,” including Bad-Ass Breakfast Burritos and Bad Mutha Clucka. Vener, speaking to QSR Magazine, described virtual brands as a modern version of food trucks. The company plans to triple its unit count in the coming years.
Kitchen United said on LinkedIn that it would announce a transition plan in the coming weeks.
Montagano’s tenure at Kitchen United coincided with the explosive growth of the ghost kitchen industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the sector’s subsequent turn towards a greater emphasis on multi-channel offerings.
The company has raised considerable sums of money, including a $100 million funding round in 2022 backed by Restaurant Brands International and Simon Property Group. Since then, the ghost kitchen operator has shifted from a strategy partially dependent on shopping malls to one emphasizing partnerships with grocery stores, particularly Kroger.
