Los Angeles — The Pie Hole, a Los Angeles-based, rapidly growing pie and coffee shop, has brought on restaurant industry veteran Edie Ames as chief executive officer. She joins The Pie Hole’s team of co-founders to oversee expansion efforts across the U.S. and abroad. Currently, The Pie Hole has 12 locations.
Ames’ 30-year career has spanned Chicago, Atlanta and Los Angeles, where she has collected a wealth of industry knowledge and refined her passion for employee and guest care. Ames most recently served as president of The Counter and BUILT Custom Burgers. Before that, she was the executive vice president of operations for Wolfgang Puck Catering, the chief operating officer at both Real Mex Restaurants and Del Frisco’s Restaurant Group, and the president at Morton’s of Chicago, Inc. She currently sits on the board of directors for The Cheesecake Factory, Inc.
“We are excited to welcome Edie to The Pie Hole team, as we know her vast experience in the restaurant industry will help us exceed the goals we’ve set for the company,” says Sean Brennan, co-founder of The Pie Hole. “Edie’s passion for the industry matches the passion we had when we initially opened The Pie Hole, and we have full confidence she will carry the concept to its full potential.”
The Pie Hole was founded in 2011 by mother-and-son duo Rebecca Grasley and Matthew Heffner, who baked pies together in their family kitchen. Armed with Grasley’s four-generations-old recipe book, the pair enlisted Heffner’s wife, Lindsay Hollister, and family friend Sean Brennan to help bring their classic family recipes to the masses. All of The Pie Hole’s menu items are made from scratch and by hand.
The handmade pie concept currently operates eight locations across Southern California, including six stores in Los Angeles County and one each in Orange and San Bernardino Counties. They also have a location in North Carolina and three locations in Tokyo.
The Pie Hole is partnered with Fransmart, the industry leading franchise development company behind the explosive growth of brands like Five Guys Burgers & Fries and The Halal Guys, as their exclusive franchise development partner to grow the brand. Fransmart’s current and past franchise development portfolio brands have opened more than 3,000 restaurants in 45 states and 35 countries. Fransmart and its partner brands are committed to franchise development growth — as of 2017, more than 1,000 new restaurants are in development across its current portfolio. The Pie Hole has also received financial capital from Kitchen Fund, a leading investor in growth restaurants. To learn more about franchising, visit www.thepieholefranchise.com/the-pie-hole-franchise-program.
SOURCE: The Pie Hole