Name: Stephanie Sentell
New title: Chief operations officer, Shake Shack
Previous title: Senior vice president of company operations, Inspire Brands
Sentell, who has over two decades of restaurant experience, will join Shake Shack on July 1, according to a press release. In her previous position, she oversaw operations at over 1,100 company-owned Arby’s — a $1.5 billion business — and led 22,000 restaurant employees across the nation. She spent 11 years at Arby’s and Inspire Brands. Prior to that role, she spent 11 years at Dairy Queen as director of marketing and a franchise owner, according to the press release.
“She brings a wealth of operational experience and has consistently improved margins and enhanced operational efficiencies across brands, channels, and formats, including drive-thru, with a data driven approach that will further improve and optimize the way we operate our Shacks,” said Rob Lynch, CEO of Shake Shack, in a statement.
In her new role, Sentell will oversee all domestic company-owned Shake Shack restaurants, including 12,000 team members. The chain has been rapidly growing unit count, and expects to open 80 units globally this year, former CEO Randy Garutti said during a Q1 2024 earnings call.
Sentell’s experience with drive-thrus will come in handy as the chain opens more Shacks with drive-thrus. Self-ordering kiosks have also become the chain’s largest and most profitable ordering channel.
Sentell will report to Lynch, who joined the chain in May following Garutti’s retirement.
