Shari’s Cafe and Pies has named Keith Wall as chief financial officer, succeeding Ray Damron, the longtime CFO who retired in September, the company said Thursday.
Shari’s Management Corp., which owns the Beaverton, Ore.-based family-dining chain, said Wall started his new position on Oct. 3.
“Keith’s addition to our executive team will help drive our restaurant group to the next level with his tenured restaurant financial background,” said Bruce MacDiarmid, Shari’s president and CEO, in a statement.
Wall most recently was senior vice president for financial planning and analysis at Greer, S.C.-based Buffets Inc. and Ovation Brands.
Prior to Ovation Brands, Wall served in financial positions at Sherman Oaks, Calif.-based Worldwide Restaurant Concepts and Commerce, Calif.-based Banner Holdings Inc. He has also worked with Western Sizzlin Corp., Taco Bell Corp. and the Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour Restaurants division of Marriott International.
In the most recent Nation’s Restaurant News Second 100 census, Shari’s ranked No. 193 among restaurant brands in U.S. systemwide sales. For the fiscal year ended December 2015, Shari’s posted $173.2 million in domestic sales, rising from $165.2 million in the preceding year. The company also reported a 4.8-percent increase in average unit volume, to $1.8 million in 2015.
“We’ve been evolving the Shari’s Brand at a rapid pace the over the last couple years,” MacDiarmid said.
“We’ve reimaged a significant number of our locations with contemporary building innovations. We’ve redesigned our menu with additional fresh, local and seasonal menu items. And we’ve combined it all together with new branding elements.”
Shari’s Cafe and Pies has 96 locations in California, Idaho, Nebraska, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming.
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