Pinstripes Inc., the large-venue entertainment brand that earlier this year announced a special purpose acquisition company deal with Banyan Acquisition Corp., is expanding its C suite with the appointments of Tony Querciagrossa as chief financial officer and Shannon Keller as chief marketing officer, the company said Wednesday.
The Northbrook, Ill.-based Pinstripes said Querciagrossa and Keller will report to the company founder and CEO Dale Schwartz.
“As we continue to move through the de-SPAC process and Pinstripes prepares to become a publicly traded company, we could not be more pleased to welcome these two leaders to the executive team,” said Jerry Hyman, chairman of Banyan Acquisition Corp., in a statement. “We are confident that they will complement the current management team and make an immediate, positive impact and soon help Pinstripes navigate the public markets.”
In June, Pinstripes Inc., the large-venue dining and entertainment brand, announced plans to become a public company in a special purpose acquisition company deal with Banyan Acquisition Corp., a blank-check firm.
Pinstripes, which has 14 units open in eight states and Washington, D.C., said it expected the SPAC deal to be completed in the fourth quarter of this year. It has five units under construction. Average volumes for the 13 venues open for the year ended April 30, 2023, were $8.6 million, according to a company presentation filed Wednesday.
Pinstripes offers a full-service Italian-American food and beverage menu and games from bowling to bocce seven days a week. Its venues, which range in size from 25,000 to 38,000 square feet, can accommodate groups of 20 to 1,500 people for private events, parties, and celebrations, the company said.
“We’re very excited to welcome both Tony and Shannon to the Pinstripes team,” Schwartz said. “[The category of] experiential dining and entertainment is in the midst of robust expansion, and we are uniquely positioned to capitalize on the significant whitespace opportunities. These two strategic C-suite positions will play an integral role in delivering on our growth strategy of scaling our winning combination of delicious food and timeless entertainment.”
Querciagrossa most recently served as president of Columbus Industries, Inc., a manufacturer of residential filtration and an operating company of Filtration Group Corp. Prior to Columbus Industries, he was president of Purafil Inc. and before that group CFO of Filtration Group’s indoor air quality businesses.
“I am excited to join Pinstripes at such a pivotal time in the company’s journey,” Querciagrossa said. “Pinstripes is experiencing first-hand the promising growth opportunities in the sector, having clearly separated itself from its peers, and I look forward to helping Dale and the rest of the team continue to lead in this space as we move towards becoming a public company.”
Keller served from 2015-2022 as chief marketing officer of True Food Kitchen. Prior to True Food Kitchen, she held senior leadership roles at global marketing firms Weber Shandwick Worldwide and PMK*BNC.
“I am delighted to become a part of the Pinstripes family and help amplify the important story that the brand has to share with the industry and consumers looking to connect with friends and family over made-from-scratch meals and exciting entertainment,” Keller said. “Pinstripes is in a category of its own, and I am eager to support the company’s growth strategy as we open additional locations throughout the U.S. and overseas.”
In connection with the proposed business combination deal, Pinstripes released an updated version of its investor deck, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Sept. 27, and can be found at the Banyan Acquisition website.
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