San Antonio — Whataburger® has appointed Todd Huetinck as its new chief supply chain officer. With nearly two decades of global supply chain leadership, Huetinck has expertise across sourcing, distribution, logistics, food safety, supplier quality management, continuous improvement and product commercialization. His first day at Whataburger was Oct. 1.
Huetinck joins Whataburger from CKE Restaurants, where he most recently served as senior vice president, supply chain management, overseeing operations for 3,000 Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s restaurants. Throughout his 18 years at CKE, he took on increasingly responsible roles, making significant contributions in food safety and quality assurance.
“I am thrilled to announce that our exhaustive search for a new chief supply chain officer (CSCO) has concluded,” says Alexander Ivannikov, executive vice president and chief administrative officer. “As we continue to promote from within and attract world-class outside talent to our organization, we seek leaders who not only bring relevant experience and industry expertise but also share our passion for Whataburger and our steadfast commitment to fresh ingredients, bold flavors and extraordinary hospitality. Todd embodies these values and will bring his extensive knowledge and experience to support our growth plans as we expand the Whataburger brand to more loyal fans across our growing footprint.”
Alexander continues: “At Whataburger, we are sticklers for quality, and Todd’s extensive background in developing quality systems across vast geographies was particularly valuable to us. While our growth plans are ambitious, we only expand if we can maintain the same high standards for both product and experience. Todd brings a unique and valuable perspective to the CSCO role to help ensure we uphold these commitments as we grow.”
Huetinck’s career with CKE began in 2006 in quality assurance, where he managed compliance for both Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s. During his tenure, he implemented a SaaS system to improve supplier and product management efficiency. In 2017, CKE promoted Huetinck to vice president, quality assurance, leading global quality assurance and food safety for 3,600 restaurants in 40 countries; in 2019, he was promoted to vice president of purchasing and quality assurance.
In 2021, Huetinck became senior vice president of supply chain management, a role that managed more than $1 billion in annual purchases and led four key departments: purchasing, distribution, quality assurance/product compliance and restaurant food safety. His leadership extended to overseeing a distribution network of 15 warehouses and collaborating with culinary innovation teams to commercialize new products.
Founded in 1950, Whataburger is headquartered in San Antonio and has more than 1,050 restaurants in 16 states.
SOURCE: Whataburger