The last three months have been filled with CEO and leadership changes as restaurant executives seek new opportunities or retire.
Several large companies, including Jack in the Box, CKE Restaurants, Church’s Texas Chicken and Panera Brands, welcomed new executives. Other chains saw resignations and retirements. Twin Peaks CEO Joe Hummel resigned from his post last month, while David Gibbs of Yum Brands announced his retirement, effective 2026, at the start of the second quarter. Neither company has named a permanent successor.
New leadership could change the trajectory of these brands’ strategies, much like how Todd Penegor and Brian Niccol are shaping Papa Johns and Starbucks in the months following their CEO appointments at their respective companies.
Check out the latest CEO changes from the first quarter and see how these leaders might direct restaurant brands going forward.
Jack in the Box
Name: Lance Tucker
Tucker, previously Jack in the Box’s CFO, was originally named interim CEO in February following the departure of Darin Harris. Upon his permanent appointment on March 31, Tucker said his initial priorities would include capital allocation, free cash flow acceleration and a shift toward an asset-light, franchised business model. Tucker joined Jack in the Box in November, returning to the chain after stints as CFO at CKE Restaurants and Davidson Hospitality Group. He previously served as CFO at the burger chain from 2018 to 2020.
Rego Restaurant Group
Name: Neel Patel
The parent company of Quiznos and Taco del Mar hired Patel in March, succeeding Tim Casey, who led the company for over six years. Patel previously worked at Church’s Texas Chicken as senior vice president, strategy and growth, where he helped in the chain’s transformation and recent transaction growth. He also led commercial strategy, revenue management and global expansion efforts at the chicken brand.
Panera Brands
Name: Paul Carbone
Carbone was originally named interim CEO in January, when José Alberto Dueñas stepped down from his post, and became the permanent CEO in March. Carbone had been serving as CFO at the parent company of Panera Bread, Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros since 2023, when the company was considering an initial public offering. While at Panera Brands, Carbone has helped identify and execute various strategies including menu transformation, and improving value and the guest experience.
CKE Restaurants
Name: Joe Guith
After serving as CEO at Church’s Texas Chicken for over two years, Guith joined the parent company of Carl’s Jr and Hardee’s in early March. He succeeded Max Wetzel, who left the company in 2024 to head up Tropical Smoothie Cafe. At Church’s, Guith helped reposition the brand, build stronger franchise relationships and led improvements in unit-level profitability and sales and traffic growth. In his new role, Guith will help grow CKE Restaurants, which has been aggressively expanding internationally, and building distinct brand identities for Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s in the U.S.
A&W Restaurants
Name: Betsy Schmandt
After serving as chief operating officer at A&W for 18 months, Schmandt was promoted to CEO and president in early March. She succeeded Kevin Bazner, who was A&W’s CEO for over a decade. In her previous role, Schmandt led daily operations focused on efficiency and productivity, and made sure that operations aligned with the company’s long-term strategy. In her new role, Schmandt will work to improve the A&W experience and build the chain’s value proposition.
Church’s Texas Chicken
Name: Roland Gonzalez
Gonzalez was promoted from chief operating officer to CEO in February following former CEO Joe Guith’s move to CKE Restaurants. He had served as COO since 2023 and helped the chain modernize much of its customer-facing technology, including a new loyalty program and piloting drive-thru voice ordering automation. As CEO, he will focus on the chain’s next phase of growth, which will largely include international expansion.
Torchy’s Tacos
Name: Paul Macaluso
Macaluso joined the fast casual Mexican chain in February after serving as president and CEO at Another Broken Egg Cafe for over five years. He succeeds Mike Rypka, the brand’s founder, who moved into the new role of chief innovation officer. At Another Broken Egg Cafe, Macaluso helped grow unit count and build sales momentum. As CEO of Torchy’s, he will help the brand with its next stage of growth, which is set to include new openings, tech innovation and menu updates.
KFC
Name: Scott Mezvinsky
Mezvinsky, who previously served as president for Taco Bell North America and International, was promoted to KFC Division CEO on March 1, following Sabir Sami’s departure. While at Taco Bell, Mezvinsky helped make it a $20 billion brand. He also served as global chief strategy and financial officer at the chain, where he oversaw finance, department and strategy functions. He has been at Yum Brands since 2004.
Bartaco
Name: Anthony Valletta
Valletta was promoted from president to CEO at the Mexican restaurant brand in January. Co-founder and former CEO Scott Lawton became chairman of the board at Bartaco. Valletta was president for three years and previously held leadership positions at Mina Group, Del Frisco’s and Darden.
