Qdoba, Modern Market parent names Prashant Budhale as CTOQdoba, Modern Market parent names Prashant Budhale as CTO

Modern Restaurant Concepts, which owns the Qdoba Mexican Eats and Modern Market Eatery fast-casual brands, has named Prashant Budhale as chief technology officer, the company said Monday.

San Diego, Calif.-based Modern Restaurant Concepts said Budhale most recently served as head of technology for Sonic Drive-In, a division of Inspire Brands.

“We are excited for Prashant to join the MRC team,” said John Cywinski, CEO of Modern Restaurant Concepts, in a statement. “I view technology as a foundational enabler of all that we do in the restaurant business, from a guest, team member, and corporate enterprise perspective. Prashant will lead our strategy to drive technology as a powerful brand differentiator, and he will be a terrific collaborator with our existing leadership team as well as our franchise partners moving forward.”

At Sonic, Budhale was responsible for the development and implementation of all technology initiatives across the 3,550-unit brand. Prior to Sonic, he was a senior director for Pizza Hut, a division of Yum! Brands Inc., where he led retail technology. Earlier in his career, Budhale worked as a software development consultant with IBM, Allstate, Oracle, Capgemini, and Fujitsu America.

"I'm excited about Qdoba's history of strong same-store sales growth, potential for net unit growth, and the ability for technology to make a positive impact to both guest and team member experiences," Budhale said.

Related:Modern Restaurant Concepts names former Applebee’s president John Cywinski as CEO

Qdoba is a fast-casual Mexican restaurant with more than 750 locations in the U.S. and Canada. Modern Market Eatery has units in Arizona, Colorado, Indiana and Texas.

In August 2022, private equity firm and Modern Market Eatery parent company, Butterfly Equity, announced it would acquire Qdoba Mexican Eats for an unspecified amount.

Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected]

Follow him on X: @RonRuggless