Sponsored By

MOD Pizza hires first chief technology officerMOD Pizza hires first chief technology officer

Fast-casual chain also opens 100th location

Ron Ruggless, Senior Editor

February 16, 2016

1 Min Read
Nation's Restaurant News logo in a gray background | Nation's Restaurant News

The fast-casual MOD Pizza chain has hired its first chief technology officer, naming Carole McCluskey to the newly created post, the company said Tuesday.

McCluskey, who will oversee MOD Pizza’s technical and digital initiatives, most recently was chief technology officer at Bellevue, Wash.-based Outerwall Inc., the network of Redbox movie, game rental and Coinstar coin-cashing machines.

Seattle-based MOD Pizza also named two other key leaders, including Kevin Flaherty as vice president of marketing and Lisa Luebeck as general counsel, as it opened its 100th unit earlier this month in Downey, Calif.

“Carole, Kevin and Lisa each bring incredible experience to their respective areas of expertise and will help prepare MOD for our sustained growth over the next several years,” said Scott Svenson, co-founder and CEO of MOD, in a statement.

The company plans to open its first international restaurant later this year in the United Kingdom with a Five Guys franchise operator.

“As we double our footprint in the U.S. this year and begin our expansion overseas, our executive team is now built to support MOD’s position as the leader in our category,” said Svenson. “Most importantly, each of these key individuals share MOD’s core values and are excited to join in building a strong people-centric company.”

Flaherty was most recently chief marketing officer for Whitepages. Luebeck has worked with the law firm Dorsey & Whitney and served as senior director of legal at CTI BioPharma Corp., a public biotechnology company.

Scott and Ally Svenson founded MOD Pizza in 2008, and the company said its revenues were more than $60 million in 2015. The company has raised $75 million from private investors and PWP Growth Equity, an equity fund managed by Perella Weinberg Partners.

Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected]
Follow him on Twitter: @RonRuggless

About the Author

Ron Ruggless

Senior Editor, Nation’s Restaurant News / Restaurant Hospitality

Ron Ruggless serves as a senior editor for Informa Connect’s Nation’s Restaurant News (NRN.com) and Restaurant Hospitality (Restaurant-Hospitality.com) online and print platforms. He joined NRN in 1992 after working 10 years in various roles at the Dallas Times Herald newspaper, including restaurant critic, assistant business editor, food editor and lifestyle editor. He also edited several printings of the Zagat Dining Guide for Dallas-Fort Worth, and his articles and photographs have appeared in Food & Wine, Food Network and Self magazines. 

Ron Ruggless’ areas of expertise include foodservice mergers, acquisitions, operations, supply chain, research and development and marketing. 

Ron Ruggless is a frequent moderator and panelist at industry events ranging from the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators (MUFSO) conference to RestaurantSpaces, the Council of Hospitality and Restaurant Trainers, the National Restaurant Association’s Marketing Executives Group, local restaurant associations and the Horeca Professional Expo in Madrid, Spain.

Ron Ruggless’ experience:

Regional and Senior Editor, Informa Connect’s Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality (1992 to present)

Features Editor – Dallas Times Herald (1989-1991)

Restaurant Critic and Food Editor – Dallas Times Herald (1987-1988)

Editing Roles – Dallas Times Herald (1982-1987)

Editing Roles – Charlotte (N.C.) Observer (1980-1982)

Editing Roles – Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald (1978-1980)

Email: [email protected]

Social media:

Twitter@RonRuggless

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ronruggless

Instagram: @RonRuggless

TikTok: @RonRuggless

 

Subscribe Nation's Restaurant News Newsletters
Get the latest breaking news in the industry, analysis, research, recipes, consumer trends, the latest products and more.