Goodlettsville, Tenn. — Dollar General Corporation’s board of directors has appointed Jerry W. “JJ” Fleeman Jr., to succeed Todd Vasos as chief executive officer of Dollar General effective Jan. 1, 2027. The board intends to appoint Fleeman to serve as a director upon the effective date of the transition. To assist in the transition, Vasos will continue to serve as CEO until the effective date of the transition, at which time he will serve as senior advisor through April 2, 2027. Following the transition, Vasos is expected to remain a …
Katie Lee
Nashville, Tenn. — la Madeleine, the French-inspired café-bakery brand, has opened its first location in the state of Tennessee. The new café-bakery opened on March 18 in Mt. Juliet, Tenn., and will have a formal grand opening celebration and ribbon-cutting on April 14. la Madeleine offers a distinctive café-bakery experience where guests can enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner through soups, salads, artisan sandwiches, pastas, handcrafted coffees and a display of freshly baked pastries. More than just a café, la Madeleine’s thoughtfully designed spaces — including a welcoming fireplace and inviting …
New York City — Papa Johns has entered into a strategic partnership with Deliverect to deploy its Smart Dispatch & Delivery Management platform across all Papa Johns restaurants in the U.S. by the end of 2027. The partnership is part of Papa Johns’ multi-year initiative to modernize its fulfillment technology stack. The platform enables the brand to execute all orders, whether fulfilled by in-house delivery drivers or third-party service partners, through a single, intelligent system that connects every ordering channel, point-of-sale and delivery workflow into a unified operational delivery orchestration …
San Francisco —Williams Sonoma, a portfolio brand of Williams-Sonoma, Inc., has revealed its newly renovated Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen, a state-of-the-art culinary hub designed to fuel product innovation and serve as a collaborative space for the brand’s culinary team, chefs and creators. Located at the company’s headquarters in San Francisco, the reimagined Test Kitchen features expanded cooking stations and premium kitchen appliances with dedicated spaces designed to help facilitate recipe development, product testing and content creation. For decades, the Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen has served as a center for the …
Austin, Texas — Fourth, a leading provider of workforce and inventory management solutions for the hospitality industry, has named Scott Collison as chief executive officer. A proven builder of enterprise software platforms with more than two decades of experience scaling technology companies, Collison will lead Fourth into its next phase of AI-led product innovation for restaurant operators. Most recently, he served as CEO of Personify, where he led the company through a period of strong recurring revenue growth and operational improvement, culminating in its successful sale to Momentive in late …
Chicago — Portillo’s, the fast-casual restaurant brand known for its menu of Chicago-style favorites, has named Jennifer Pecoraro-Striepling as chief development officer. She joins Portillo’s from Miller’s Ale House. In this role, Pecoraro-Striepling will lead Portillo’s restaurant development strategy, including real estate and site selection, prototype design and construction. She will play a key role in advancing Portillo’s long term expansion as the company continues to grow its footprint while preserving the brand’s unique guest experience and operational excellence. “Jennifer brings the experience, strategic vision and people-first leadership we need …
San Francisco —Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has promoted Vicki McWilliams to president of stores and customer care. McWilliams has been with the retailer for more than 19 years, most recently serving as executive vice president of stores and customer care. She leads the entire fleet of stores across the Williams-Sonoma, Inc. portfolio of brands. Over the course of her tenure, McWilliams has delivered impactful results while strengthening the company’s retail organization, including participating in the expansion of the company’s international presence in United Kingdom and Mexico, and supporting the growth of the …
Youngstown, Ohio — Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream has appointed Naveen Dasa as chief financial officer, adding a dynamic and accomplished finance executive to its leadership team. Dasa brings more than a decade of experience spanning franchising, restaurant operations and consumer brands — including roles at Shake Shack, BakeMark and Yum! Brands. He previously spent 10 years with Yum! Brands advancing through finance and strategy roles across Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Yum! Corporate — most notably, Dasa played a key role in designing and implementing Pizza Hut’s systemwide asset upgrade …
— By Sarah J. Carter — As the temperatures drop, nesting birds may seek shelter indoors. How to protect your facility from these unwelcome guests. Now that we are in the full swing of the holidays, roadways are full of eager shoppers in search of the perfect gift, and homes are abuzz with preparations for family gatherings. The crisp mornings prompt more of an effort to rise, as we quickly transition to layered clothing and begin our mornings with a warm mug in hand. During this season of comfort, we’re …
Ontario, Calif. — Heritage Grocers Group has appointed David Hinojosa as its new chief executive officer, following a comprehensive search led by the board of directors. Under Hinojosa’s leadership, Heritage plans to accelerate strategic growth across its banners while continuing to invest in fresh foods, operational excellence and community-driven retail experiences. “Over the past several months, the board set out to identify a leader who brings exceptional industry experience and genuinely reflects the values that define Heritage Grocers Group,” says David Hirz, chairman of the board of Heritage Grocers Group. …