Focus Brands Appoints Industry Veterans to Key Leadership Roles in Restaurant Category

ATLANTA, Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Focus Brands®, parent company of iconic brands including Auntie Anne's^®, Carvel^®, Cinnabon^®, Jamba®, McAlister's Deli^®, Moe's Southwest Grill^® and Schlotzsky's^®, announced today the promotion of Shelley Harris to Restaurant Category President and the hiring of William Armstrong for the position of Schlotzsky's Chief Brand Officer.  Both leaders have an impressive background in restaurant operations, which is critical for the success of the company's three restaurant category brands.

"Having the opportunity to promote a strong leader like Shelley Harris to lead the restaurant category shows the bench strength we have within Focus Brands, and William Armstrong's track record of operational excellence is invaluable as Schlotzsky's continues to grow and enter new markets," said Jim Holthouser, CEO of Focus Brands.  "The success of our restaurant brands is imperative to the success of the company overall, and with these two leaders working alongside existing talent, I am incredibly confident in the future."

Shelley Harris has worked in operations at Focus Brands for six years, most recently as the Senior Vice President of Operations for the Restaurant Category. In this role, Shelley was instrumental in leading Focus Brands through the beginning of its organizational transformation designed to leverage the scale of the portfolio of its brands.  Harris led the restaurant category operations effort to build effective, efficient and scalable solutions to further enhance the guest experience, focus on franchisee unit level economics and build a culture of operations excellence. Prior to joining the company, she spent nearly 13 years working in operations at Burger King.

William Armstrong joins the company from The Wendy's Company where he served as Head of International Operations. William brings a breadth of knowledge and experience in the QSR space, having worked domestically and internationally for brands including McDonald's and the Yum! Brands portfolio.   

About Focus Brands
Atlanta-based Focus Brands is a leading developer of global multi-channel foodservice brands. Focus Brands, through its affiliate brands, is the franchisor and operator of more than 6,000 restaurants, cafes, ice cream shoppes, and bakeries in the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and over 50 foreign countries under the brand names Auntie Anne's®, Carvel®, Cinnabon®, Jamba®, Moe's Southwest Grill®, McAlister's Deli®, and Schlotzsky's®, as well as Seattle's Best Coffee® on certain military bases and in certain international markets. Please visit www.focusbrands.com to learn more.

Contact:
Abby Leary
[email protected] 

SOURCE Focus Brands