Before coronavirus really hit the food and restaurant industry, brands were changing up the C-suite. Inspire Brands named chief marketing officers at both Jimmy John’s and Arby’s, McDonald’s named a new global chief people officer, and Subway named a chief operating and insights officer while Captain D’s and Marco’s Pizza also made executive changes.
Only one executive at a large restaurant chain left their post in early March, Steve Ells, the founder of Chipotle Mexican Grill. His departure from the board, where he has been replaced by current CEO Brian Niccol, eliminates his power from the company entirely as he no longer serves in any capacity.
Of course, in the three weeks since the COVID-19 pandemic began spreading across the food industry and the United States as a whole, companies have been forced to lay off workers or shutter restaurants entirely, as many executives forego their salaries. Most of these restaurant companies, large and small, have maintained their C-suites, but the change in the industry is already reflected in the drop-off of new executives named in the latter part of March.
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