New York City — Shake Shack Inc. has appointed Stephanie Sentell to the role of chief operations officer, effective July 1, 2024. She is a seasoned restaurant executive and most recently served as senior vice president of company operations at Inspire Brands, where she oversaw the operations of more than 1,100 company-owned Arby’s restaurants across the United States.
“I have known Stephanie for more than 10 years and she is one of the most dynamic and compassionate leaders that I have ever worked with,” says Rob Lynch, CEO of Shake Shack. “She brings a wealth of operational experience and has consistently improved margins and enhanced operational efficiencies across brands, channels and formats, including drive-thru, with a data driven approach that will further improve and optimize the way we operate our Shacks. Stephanie has the passion and strong leadership skills to build upon the principles of ‘Enlightened Hospitality’ — she knows how to develop great teams, how to solve complex problems and has an accountability mindset that will guide our teams into a bright future. I couldn’t be more excited to welcome her aboard.”
Sentell spent more than 11 years at Inspire Brands and Arby’s, most recently as SVP of company operations. Earlier in her career, she spent more than 11 years at Dairy Queen as the director of marketing and a franchise owner.
As Shake Shack’s new COO, Sentell will oversee all company-operated domestic Shacks. She will report to Lynch and work closely with the current senior executive leadership team.
Since the original Shack opened in 2004 in Madison Square Park in New York City, the company has expanded to more than 530 locations systemwide, including over 340 in 33 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, and 190 international locations across London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Mexico City, Istanbul, Dubai, Tokyo, Seoul and more.
SOURCE: Shake Shack