Denver — Nextbite, a leader in virtual restaurants, has added Kat Cole, a 25-year restaurant industry executive and former president and chief operating officer (COO) of Focus Brands, as advisor. Cole will guide Nextbite with her experience in building high-growth strategies, support the advancement of healthy brands in the portfolio and streamline operations.
Cole is currently president and COO of Athletic Greens, one of the fastest growing wellness brands and subscription businesses, where she focuses on driving organizational scale, accelerating business growth and global expansion, innovation and more. Prior to this, Cole served as president and COO at Focus Brands, a developer of iconic global, multi-channel foodservice brands, including Moe’s Southwest Grill, Jamba, Auntie Anne’s and other chains. In her executive position, she led the multibillion-dollar businesses of seven brands and all operating divisions, including franchising, licensing and international divisions, building revenues and profits through global licensing, manufacturing and e-commerce.
As Nextbite continues its rapid expansion, it will benefit from Cole’s expertise in leading consumer brands, scaling organizations through various stages of growth, and bridging and integrating the worlds of startup thinking and innovation with corporate structures. Cole will advise Nextbite on its virtual, delivery-only strategies, concepts and operations.
“The restaurant industry is constantly evolving and it’s crucial to thoughtfully innovate in order to grow,” says Cole. “Technology is reshaping restaurants and Nextbite’s virtual, delivery-first concepts and highly specialized capabilities offer the convenience and variety that consumers are craving. Nextbite and a variety of their brands can help brick-and-mortar restaurants leverage existing assets, drive financial growth and reach more customers.”
Cole will also provide counsel for Nextbite as the company moves into its next phase of growth to meet the ever-evolving needs of today’s restaurants and consumers, including the development and execution of healthy, innovative delivery brands from strategy to operations, manufacturing, and design and packaging.
“Kat’s career was built in the kitchen and she’s recognized as an industry visionary. She understands what it takes to keep customers coming back and how to build and manage brands that are aligned with restaurant and consumer needs and trends,” says Alex Canter, CEO and co-founder of Nextbite. “Her experience and perspective in growing companies and operations is powerful counsel for Nextbite’s continued expansion.”
Nextbite, a leader in virtual restaurants and a pioneer in online order management, is focused on helping restaurant partners successfully enter the virtual restaurant space with new delivery-first menus, using underutilized labor and kitchen capacity, to increase margins and revenue. Originally founded as Ordermark in 2017, Nextbite matches in-demand brands with under-utilized kitchens via technology, data and services. Nextbite is headquartered in Denver and Los Angeles.
SOURCE: Nextbite