The Bruxië Gourmet Waffle Sandwich chain has named brand advisor Dave Barrows its first president, company officials said Wednesday.
Barrows was previously cofounder of Airvision, a consulting company that works on branding and strategy. Clients have included Chipotle Mexican Grill, Potbelly Sandwich Works and Il Fornaio, as well as brands outside the restaurant industry, such as Microsoft.
Anaheim, Calif.-based Bruxië has eight locations, including seven restaurants in Southern California and one unit in Denver. The chain expects to move into the Los Angeles market for the first time later this year.
Founded in 2010 by partners Dean Simon and Kelly Mullarney, Bruxië is known for its sandwiches made with light Belgian waffles in place of bread, as well as salads, frozen custard, shakes and pure cane-sugar sodas.
In 2013, the fast-casual concept won an investment by private-equity firm Catterton Partners, which is known for early buy-in of promising growth chains.
The same year, Bruxië was named a Breakout Brand by Nation’s Restaurant News.
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