Smashburger has named Brett Willis as its new senior vice president of franchise sales, the Denver, Colo.-based company said on Monday.
In his new role, Willis will lead franchise recruitment initiatives for the company, focusing on developing and executing strategies for nontraditional, domestic and international unit growth of the better-burger restaurant chain.
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Most recently, Willis led franchise development for Johnny Rockets, focusing on nontraditional locations. He also led franchise development for Arby’s Restaurant Group. Before that, Willis worked as a franchise sales manager and financial analyst for Sonic Drive-In.
“Brett is a well respected member of the restaurant industry, and his significant franchise sales experience with high growth concepts makes him a very positive, strategic addition to our senior team,” Dave Prokupek, chairman and chief executive of Smashburger, said in a statement. “His experience specifically on nontraditional unit growth is particularly relevant as we continue to look for new ways to bring Smashburger’s fresh, premium burgers and menu variety to airports and other nontraditional locations such as food courts, college campuses and casinos."
Starting out in his new position, Willis will concentrate on domestic expansion in key markets like Chicago, Miami, Washington, D.C. and Boston, as well as continued expansion internationally in Canada.
Smashburger currently has 167 restaurants in 27 markets in the United States, as well as one in Calgary and one in Kuwait.
Contact at Charlie Duerr at charles.duerr@penton.com.