Corner Bakery Café named Gary Price president of the fast-casual concept, the chain said Wednesday.
Price is the former head of foodservice operations at Pilot Flying J, a national chain of travel centers. He succeeds Jim Vinz, who left Dallas-based Corner Bakery in January to become co-chief executive at Le Duff America Inc.
Corner Bakery, owned by Atlanta-based Roark Capital Group, said Price will be responsible for overall strategy and growth of the brand through company-owned units and franchising.
“I’m incredibly excited to be a part of Corner Bakery,” Price said in a statement. “This is a tremendous opportunity to lead such a highly regarded brand. There is a strong heritage here and Corner Bakery Café is clearly a leader in the fastest growing segment of the restaurant industry.“
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In his role at Pilot Flying J, Price served on franchise advisory boards for several of Pilots’ 12 franchise concepts, which include Subway, Wendy’s, Arby’s, Cinnabon, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Huddle House and Denny’s.
“Because of my experience as both a franchisee and a franchisor in fast-paced growth environments, I believe I bring a unique perspective to this position,” Price said.
Mike Hislop, chief executive of Corner Bakery, said: “Gary is a dynamic restaurant and franchise executive with more than 20 years of fast-track leadership. … He brings a strong understanding of franchising and his best-in-class leadership will be invaluable as we move forward with our aggressive expansion goals.”
Corner Bakery Café, which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, has more than 140 company-owned and franchised restaurants.
Contact Ron Ruggless at ronald.ruggless@penton.com.
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