people

San Antonio — Whataburger has hired Jessica Reicher as executive vice president and chief operating officer. She brings more than 30 years of diverse restaurant leadership experience, with a proven track record of operational excellence, brand growth and people-first leadership. Most recently, Reicher served as president of Arby’s at Flynn Group, where she led over 360 locations across 10 states. Under her leadership, Flynn Arby’s consistently ranks at the top of the system on national benchmarks in sales and customer satisfaction. Her people development strategy resulted in industry-leading turnover improvements, …

Orlando, Fla. — Sonny’s BBQ, an industry-leading BBQ restaurant, has added Matt Zeiger to its team as chief financial & development officer. In this key leadership role, he will oversee finance and development, bringing his strategic vision and deep expertise to support Sonny’s growth plan. “Matt brings an impressive 25 years of exceptional financial and operational leadership, having worked with some of the most respected restaurant franchise brands in the industry,” says George McAllan, chief growth officer at Sonny’s BBQ. “His depth of expertise will help guide Sonny’s BBQ as …

Tampa, Fla. — Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. has implemented a series of senior leadership appointments designed to support the company’s ongoing business turnaround, focusing on the Outback Steakhouse brand. “The Bloomin Brands leadership team has broad operational and restaurant experience across diverse consumer facing businesses. As we reinvigorate sales and profit growth in our restaurants, our leaders are committed to our founder’s values of leading growth that is enabled by our people with a passion for guest hospitality,” says Mike Spanos, chief executive officer. “These organizational updates enhance our bench strength, …