Dive Brief:
- Torchy’s Tacos has hired Paul Macaluso as CEO effective Feb. 24, the company said Wednesday in a press release. He succeeds Mike Rypka, Torchy’s founder, who will transition into the new role of chief innovation officer.
- Macaluso has over 30 years of restaurant experience and most recently served as president and CEO of Another Broken Egg Cafe where he oversaw significant expansion and sales growth, according to the press release.
- As CEO, Macaluso will use his experience building brands to aid Torchy’s next stage of growth. The 130-unit chain opened its first Nashville, Tennessee, location in September and now spans 16 states.
Dive Insight:
Macaluso joins the company as the fast casual chain invests more in technology and an updated menu. In December, Torchy’s deployed SoundHound’s voice AI ordering phone tech across its 130-store system to handle incoming calls and process phone orders. In October, it launched Torchy’s Tacos Rewards through a partnership with Par Punchh; since then, the rewards program has grown to 1 million members. In December 2023, Torchy’s partnered with Uber Eats for delivery.
The chain also launched a new menu last August, making several Tacos of the Month permanent, adding new starters and sides and the addition of a breakfast burrito.
Macaluso’s experience includes roles at GoTo Foods, where he worked in a variety of leadership, progressive marketing and brand strategy roles from 2011 to 2018. He has also worked at Sonic Drive-In and Burger King, where he held senior brand strategy, menu development and product marketing roles, and spent about a year and a half as president as CEO of Krystal, according to his LinkedIn profile. He began his career as restaurant general manager for Taco Bell in 1992, later working in various operations and marketing roles for over 10 years at the company.
“As we look ahead to our next phase of development, Paul is an enthusiastic, results-driven leader who shares our commitment to originality and guest experience,” Rypka said in a statement.
