Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp., parent to the Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes salad buffet chain, has appointed industry outsiders to the positions of chief financial officer and chief marketing officer, the company said Monday.
Former Petco Animal Supplies Inc. vice president of finance David Carr was named CFO, replacing John Morberg, who was named chief executive of the San Diego-based company in July after serving as interim CEO since May, following the departure of David Goronkin. Morberg also worked previously at Petco, where Carr served for 15 years and was most recently handling the growing Unleashed by Petco brand.
Julie Derry, Garden Fresh’s new CMO, was previously head of Digital Commerce at See’s Candies. She replaces Tammy Bailey, who was named CMO in 2012 but left the company in May.
Prior to working at See’s, Derry was vice president of digital experiences at Guitar Center Inc. Before that, she spent seven years leading and contributing to e-commerce and omni-channel efforts at outdoor-gear retailer Recreational Equipment Inc., or REI. Her history also includes work as a restaurant manager for TGI Fridays, Taco Bell and Wendy’s, the company said.
The executive changes come as Garden Fresh revamps its restaurants with a new design and revitalizes its marketing strategy with a new “Discover Fresh” theme focusing on the chain’s farm-fresh produce, made-from-scratch soups and bakery products.
“It’s fresh and exciting times at Garden Fresh,” Morberg said in a statement. “These two outstanding individuals are the perfect fit for our culture and revitalized strategic direction. Their talent and experience will infuse new energy into our leadership team as we begin to tell our irresistible brand story, work to refresh our restaurants and improve experiences for our guests.”
Garden Fresh operates about 128 restaurants in 15 states under two brand names: Souplantation in Southern California and Sweet Tomatoes everywhere else.
The company is owned by Boca Raton, Fla.-based private-equity firm Sun Capital Partners Inc.
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