restaurants

St. Louis — Panera Bread has hired Brian Krause to be the company’s new chief development officer. He will be responsible for driving strategic new store growth for Panera Bread, leading development planning, franchise development and sales, design & construction and real estate. Krause joined the company on Jan. 13 and reports to the interim CEO, Paul Carbone. An industry veteran in franchise development and sales, Krause joins the company from GoTo Foods where he oversaw growth-driving efforts for all seven brands including Auntie Anne’s, Jamba, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Schlotzsky’s …

Atlanta — GoTo Foods, parent company of the Auntie Anne’s®, Carvel®, Cinnabon®, Jamba®, McAlister’s Deli®, Moe’s Southwest Grill® and Schlotzsky’s® brands, has appointed Urvi Patel as the chief brand officer of Cinnabon. As chief brand officer, Patel will be responsible for providing executive-level guidance on brand strategy, managing marketing efforts and developing key operational strategies to drive financial growth and ensure franchise success for the brand. “Urvi’s appointment as Cinnabon’s new chief brand officer presents significant opportunities for the iconic brand,” says Shelly Harris, chief operating officer at GoTo Foods. …

Atlanta — Krispy Krunchy Chicken®, one of the fastest-growing hot food concepts in the convenience store business with over 3,200 locations, has appointed Jim Zielke as its chief financial officer. Zielke will report to CEO Jim Norberg. Zielke most recently served as the chief financial officer for the Peruvian-inspired restaurant brand Viva Chicken Holdings, LLC, where he oversaw finance, human resources, legal and IT departments for the company. He brings over 30 years of experience in the industry. “Jim has a wealth of knowledge and experience from the chicken and …