New York City — The board of directors of Shake Shack Inc. has appointed Rob Lynch to chief executive officer and board member, effective May 20, 2024. Lynch currently serves as president and CEO of Papa John’s International, Inc. and under his leadership, the company has achieved record global systemwide sales (over $5 billion across approximately 5,900 units). Lynch will succeed Randy Garutti who will continue as the company’s CEO through May 20, 2024, which will also be his final day serving on the board, before transitioning to an advisor through the end of this year to ensure a smooth transition.
“Rob’s appointment as CEO marks the beginning of our next chapter of growth as we seek to further elevate Shake Shack as a leading global brand,” says Danny Meyer, Shake Shack’s founder and chairman of the board. “Rob’s deep leadership experience with several well-established global brands will serve us well in executing on our long term strategic priorities as we enter the next phase of our company’s growth. Rob’s leadership style is also a wonderful fit to advance Shake Shack’s culture of ‘enlightened hospitality,’ and we are thrilled to welcome him to the team.”
Before Papa Johns, Lynch was president of Arby’s, one of the largest sandwich restaurant brands in the world, with more than 3,400 restaurants across eight countries, where he led operations, marketing, culinary, development and digital transformation. Prior to joining Arby’s, Lynch was vice president of marketing at Taco Bell.
Since the original Shack opened in 2004 in New York City’s Madison Square Park, the company has expanded to over 520 locations systemwide, including over 335 in 33 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, and 185 international locations across London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Mexico City, Istanbul, Dubai, Tokyo, Seoul and more.
For more information, visit www.shakeshack.com.
SOURCE: Shake Shack