Name: Rusty Bills

New title: Chief operating officer, Galardi Group

Previous title: Vice president of operations, Galardi Group

As COO, Bills will oversee changing operations at all three of Galardi’s brands, Wienerschnitzel, Tastee Freeze and Hamburger Stand, including the adoption of “labor forecasting models, kitchen equipment innovations that improve back-of-house efficiencies and A.I. drive-thru advances, alternate payment methods and kitchen equipment innovations,” the company announced in a press release emailed to Restaurant Dive Monday.

Bills has worked for Galardi Group since 2007, when he joined the company as a franchise business consultant in Sacramento, California. Since then, Bills served in a variety of roles, including VP of operations. As VP, Bills helped the company’s three brands operate through the COVID-19 pandemic. He also positioned Wienerschnitzel for expansion by streamlining operations in the kitchen and restaurant, putting customer feedback pathways in place, partnering with third-party delivery providers and pursuing new store designs.

The appointment rounds out a C-suite shift at Galardi that began earlier this year with the appointment of J.R. Galardi as president and CEO and Michael Nishi as CFO. The company, which has about 350 franchised Wienerschnitzel shops, is poised to expand, with about 50 U.S. restaurants in its development pipeline, according to the press release.