Sponsored By

Qdoba Mexican Eats names PepsiCo veteran Jeannie Cho as new CMOQdoba Mexican Eats names PepsiCo veteran Jeannie Cho as new CMO

As marketing chief, Cho will help Qdoba’s leadership team accelerate growth for the fast-casual Mexican brand

Nancy Luna, Senior editor, Nation's Restaurant News

October 12, 2020

1 Min Read
qdoba hq promo
PepsiCo marketing executive named CMO of Qdoba, based in San Diego.Qdoba

Qdoba Mexican Eats has named Jeannie Cho, a former PepsiCo marketing executive, as the fast-casual chain’s new chief marketing officer.

The San Diego-based company made the announcement Monday. While at PepsiCo, Cho worked for different brands including Frito-Lay, where she served as vice president of marketing. She also worked as a global vice president, specifically working with the Lay’s, Doritos and Cheetos brands.

“I am excited to have Jeannie — a seasoned food-industry marketing executive — as an integral member of the QDOBA team,” CEO Keith Guilbault said in a statement. “She brings tremendous ability to elevate our brand position and purpose to achieve top line growth through her strategic and breakthrough thinking. I am confident that Jeannie's analytical and creative approach to marketing will lead to even greater success for QDOBA.”

Cho said she’s excited to join Qdoba where she will help the leadership team “accelerate the growth agenda for the brand.”

“I look forward to amplifying the brand story to unlock a taste of extra flavor to enrich the lives of our guests and the communities we serve,” she said in a statement.

The San Diego based company has been shoring up its look and staff since breaking away from Jack in the Box two years ago. Last year Qdoba, now owned by New York-based Apollo Global Management LLC, relocated its headquarters to a building once occupied by San Diego Union-Tribune.

Called “Qdoba Flavor Central,” the new office features 14 feet of floor-to-ceiling glass windows, a fitness studio and on-site café called The Q.  That same year, the chain named Katy Velazquez as its corporate executive chef.

Contact Nancy Luna at [email protected] 

Follow her on Twitter: @fastfoodmaven

About the Author

Nancy Luna

Senior editor, Nation's Restaurant News

Nancy Luna is a senior editor at Nation's Restaurant News and a contributing editor at Supermarket News. She covers the industry's largest and most talked about fast-food brands including McDonald's, Starbucks, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC and Subway. She is an award-winning journalist with more than 25 years reporting experience. As a veteran business reporter based in Southern California, Nancy has covered some of the country's most beloved food and retail brands including In-N-Out, Taco Bell, Trader Joe's, Aldi, Whole Foods Market, Target and Costco. Luna is a graduate of Cal State Fullerton. When she's not digging for news on her beat, you can find Nancy regaling her fans about her latest dining adventures on her Fast Food Maven social media channels. Contact [email protected]  or follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/fastfoodmaven

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