Farmer Boys Restaurants has promoted Karen Eadon to president and chief operating officer from her position as chief marketing officer, the company said Monday.
Eadon succeeds longtime president and CEO Ken Clark, who retired Monday, the company said.
Eadon joined Farmer Boys last year as CMO. Prior to Farmer Boys, she held senior executive positions with such restaurants as Applebee's Neighborhood Bar & Grill, El Pollo Loco, McDonald's, Mimi’s Café and Taco Bell, as well as ARCO Products Co.
As CMO, Eadon “placed a renewed focus on brand relevance by improving the core menu and brand communications to better satisfy the evolving needs of restaurant consumers,” the company said in a statement.
Eadon noted that Farmer Boys has “been a farm to table restaurant since its inception.”
“Trends have caught up with what we have been doing for almost 35 years,” she said in a statement.
Riverside, Calif.-based Farmer Boys is a fast-casual breakfast-burger chain with 84 units. The concept was founded in 1981, in Perris, Calif., by five brothers in the Havadjias family. It began franchising in 1998, and now has restaurants in Southern and Central California and Nevada.
“I look forward to working with the Havadjias brothers, our employees and our franchisees to take Farmer Boys to the next level and to bring Farmer Boys to consumers in new markets," Eadon said.
Clark, who joined Farmer Boys in 2006, thanked the founders, restaurant staff and franchisees for his “enjoyable” nine years with the company. During his tenure, the company opened 34 additional restaurants.
"I am truly confident in Karen's ability to lead the Farmer Boys brand down a path of continued growth and innovation,” Clark said.
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