Dive Brief:
- Tropical Smoothie Cafe hired Jonathan Biggs as chief operating officer,promoted Chris Sasser to chief financial officer and promoted Karen Wickliffe to general counsel, the company said Tuesday in a press release.
- Biggs previously worked at Baskin-Robbins as brand head, while Sasser worked as Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s chief strategy officer and Wickliffe served as its assistant general counsel. Both Wickliffe and Sasser were promoted after their predecessors retired.
- The C-suite appointments follow the hire of Max Wetzel, former CEO at California Pizza Kitchen, as TSC’s CEO in November. The chain was bought by Blackstone last April in an estimated $2 billion transaction.
Dive Insight:
These executives will help TSC continue its current growth trajectory after it opened 161 new units and surpassed 1,500 cafes last year. The company also signed 247 new franchise agreements and said it has now had 13 consecutive years of positive same-store sales.
“Jonathan's operational expertise, combined with Chris and Karen's proven leadership in finance and legal strategy, will strengthen our ability to support franchisees and build on our incredible growth momentum,” Wetzel said in a statement.
The personnel bring decades of experience to their new positions. In Biggs’ previous position at Baskin-Robbins, he oversaw operations across the U.S. He has over a decade of experience ranging from field and global operations to driving restaurant profitability with technology and operational innovations, per the press release. He worked at Baskin-Robbins for over six years and spent another 10 years under Dunkin’ Brands in various operational leadership positions, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Sasser has been at Tropical Smoothie Cafe for nearly six years. Prior to his tenure at the smoothie chain, he held positions at Atticus Franchise Group, Restaurant Brands International and Acuity Brands, according to his LinkedIn profile.
“A key contributor to Tropical Smoothie Cafe's financial success, Sasser has played an instrumental role in shaping the company's fiscal strategy and performance,” the company said in the press release.
Wickliffe has worked as both in-house counsel for companies and at law firms during her career. She has spent the past seven years at Tropical Smoothie Cafe. In her new position she will oversee various legal functions and partner with leadership and business stakeholders regarding strategic initiatives coinciding with the brand’s expansion. Prior to Tropical Smoothie Cafe, she worked in various legal roles at Popeyes, AFC Enterprises, Paul Hastings and Howrey LLP, according to her LinkedIn profile.
