Dive Brief:

• Donatos Pizza CEO Tom Krouse will retire in October, the company said Wednesday in a press release. 
• Kevin King, current president of the pizza chain, will be promoted to CEO and president upon Krouse’s retirement. 
• Krouse has been with the chain since 2000 after working 18 years at Wendy’s. Prior to becoming CEO and president in 2010, he oversaw the chain’s franchise expansion and development of its CPG division, Jane’s Dough Premium Foods.

Dive Insight:

Under Krouse’s leadership, the company doubled in size (it currently operates 468 units), grew its franchise system from 10 to 45 partners and achieved average unit sales 60% higher than the pizza industry average, the company said.

In November, the chain laid out a strategy to expand its nationwide growth, with plans to open 150 new units this year. The company also established a successful partnership with Red Robin in 2019 that offers Donatos pizza on Red Robin’s dine-in and off-premise menus. 

King, who has over two decades of restaurant experience, began his career at Domino’s as a franchise operations director, a position he held for four years. At Domino’s, he took on several different responsibilities, including operations, multi-unit supervision and overseeing operations in Australia. He then joined Donatos as vice president of development in 1990, a position he held for 13 years, according to his LinkedIn profile. In 2005, he joined Papa Murphy’s, rising through the ranks to become chief development officer in 2011, a position he held for over three years. He also was chief development officer at Smoothie King for over five years. King returned to Donatos in January 2022 as president.  

As CEO, King will accelerate growth and innovation with plans to “leverage the brand's robust foundation and core values to expand its reach while remaining true to its heritage.” the company said. 

"Kevin has demonstrated a genuine commitment to fostering our people-first culture, upholding our mission and core values as his first priority,” Jane Grote Abell, Donatos’ chief purpose officer and chairperson of the board, said in a statement. “His extensive expertise in operations and growth within the franchise industry, paired with his deep understanding of our company mission and values, make him the ideal person to continue building upon the legacy that Tom has built.”