San Francisco — Starbird has appointed industry veteran John Phillips as chief development officer. With nearly 30 years of experience, Phillips will play a key role in advancing Starbird’s national growth strategy via new restaurant openings and strategic franchise development agreements.
He brings extensive experience in restaurant operations, franchise development and business leadership across recognized brands such as The Habit Burger Grill, Burger King and El Pollo Loco. Most recently, Phillips served as chief global business partnership officer at The Habit Burger Grill, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands.
As chief development officer, Phillips will lead Starbird’s company and franchise development efforts, including market planning, real estate development, franchise recruitment and strengthening relationships with existing franchise partners. He will also oversee the company’s growing pipeline of new restaurants as Starbird expands into additional markets nationwide.
Phillips’ appointment is the latest in a series of strategic leadership investments designed to support Starbird’s next phase of growth. Over the past year the company has added Greg Levin as chief executive officer, Stefanie Lee as chief financial officer and Jonathan Zacks as vice president of marketing. The company also brought on former Jersey Mike’s president Hoyt Jones as an advisor to its board of directors.
Founded in San Francisco in 2016, Starbird is a culinary-forward chicken brand that operates over 20 locations. Starbird currently has restaurant operations and franchise development efforts spanning California, Colorado, Texas, Washington, Illinois and beyond. For more information, visit www.starbirdchicken.com.
SOURCE: Starbird