Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group has named Rani Yadav to the newly created position of chief marketing officer and it has hired Patti Simpson as its chief people officer, the New York City-based restaurant group said Monday.
Yadav most recently was in charge of marketing for meal kit delivery company Blue Apron, where she was the first marketing hire and spent nearly five years overseeing paid marketing, marketing analytics, public relations, creative agency management and social media. In her new role she is responsible for growing USHG’s brands, developing new concepts and working with the hospitality and technology-related businesses that are part of the company’s investment arm, Enlightened Hospitality Investments, which has interests in fast-casual concept Dig, delivery platform Goldbelly, website designer Bentobox, third-wave coffee concept Joe Coffee Company and artisan ice cream maker Salt & Straw.
Yadav has an MBA in entrepreneurship and marketing strategy from Wharton Business School in Philadelphia, a bachelor in economics from Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., and certificates in cuisine and pastry from Le Cordon Bleu Ecole de Cuisine in Paris.
Simpson joins USHG from casual-dining chain Ruby Tuesday, where she also was chief people officer for a little over a year. Prior to that she held the same position at Au Bon Pain for a year and half. At USHG, which runs around 20 foodservice operations in the city, including Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern and The Modern, Simpson is charged with overseeing all human resources systems and benefits.
Simpson has a bachelor’s degree in special education from Cabrini University in Radnor, Pa.
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected]
Follow him on Twitter: @foodwriterdiary
