Dive Brief:

• Wetzel’s Pretzels has named COO Vincent Montanelli as brand leader, the company said in a press release emailed to Restaurant Dive Wednesday.
• The company confirmed that CEO Jennifer Schuler left the company to spend time with her family. 
• Montanelli has been with the brand for nearly 20 years, initially joining Wetzel’s as SVP of operations. He will maintain his COO title with the promotion.

Dive Insight:

Montanelli is tasked with maintaining the chain’s current growth trajectory, which has been bolstered by several flexible store formats.The company expects to reach 400 units this year. 

Wetzel’s just opened its first Twisted by Wetzel’s location in Southern California, which highlights more premium menu items and offers a streetside store option. The chain has also been opening sites inside big box retailers like Macy’s and Walmart, as well as within convenience stores. It's same-store sales are up 35% compared to 2019.

“I was excited to join the Wetzel’s team nearly 20 years ago, because of its unique combination of serving a fresh, high-quality product, while maintaining simple operations and a proven business model,” Montanelli said in the press release. “In this new role, I look forward to enhancing our guest experience and growing our network in new and innovative ways.”

Montanelli’s expertise includes training, operations and procurement as well as developing and implementing strategies to expand Wetzel’s reach to customers. In the past, he held roles at Jamba Juice, Baskin-Robins and McDonald’s. 

The promotion follows MTY Food Group’s acquisition of Wetzel’s last year for $207 million.