Denver — Smashburger, the rapidly expanding better burger restaurant, has named Michael J. Nolan as its new executive vice president – chief development officer. Nolan will oversee the company’s development (real estate, construction, design, facilities), franchise sales and IT departments, effective immediately.
Previously, Nolan was executive vice president and chief development officer at Corner Bakery.
“Michael’s extensive experience in successfully growing national and international brands will be invaluable to Smashburger as we continue to grow our footprint across the country and internationally,” says Scott Crane, Smashburger’s president and CEO.
Michael has more than 25 years of experience in restaurant development strategy and executive level management. Before his time at Corner Bakery, Nolan held executive level management positions at Bloomin’ Brands, Inc. where he oversaw the restaurant development strategy for more than 1,500 locations across 26 countries. He also held several executive positions at Panera Bread Company where he led the growth strategies for 12 years, taking that brand from 250 units to more than 1,500.
“The Smashburger brand has seen incredible growth over the past several years. They have clearly proven themselves to be the leader in the Better Burger category,” says Nolan. “I’m incredibly excited to bring my background and expertise to partner with this proven team.”
Smashburger currently has over 350 restaurants across the globe and expects to grow its unit count by approximately 20% to 25% in 2016. In 2015, the company sold more than 187 franchise units, making it the largest year in the company’s history of franchise sales.
Smashburger was launched in 2007. For more information, visit www.smashburger.com.
SOURCE: Smashburger