The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has named Sanjiv Razdan its president for the Americas and India market, the Los Angeles-based coffee house chain said Thursday.
He will focus on expanding the chain beyond California in the United States and reposition it as a brand as one with “superior taste” and an “authentic SoCal heritage,” the chain said.
Razdan has been working in restaurant chains for some 30 years, Most recently as chief operating officer of Sweetgreen. He also served as chief operating officer of Applebee’s from 2014 to 2017. Prior to that he held various managerial roles at Yum Brands, including president of Pizza Hut India.
“The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf brand is globally iconic and its mission of helping people find their perfect flavor has enormous untapped potential,” Razdan said in the release announcing his appointment. “I’m excited to join this great brand and work closely with the new ownership as we scale and continue to introduce The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® brand to new markets, and in the process help advance Jollibee Foods Corp.’s goal of becoming one of the top five restaurant groups in the world.”
Jollibee agreed to by Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in mid-2019.
Razdan also will work to expand CBTL’s omnichannel presence, which the chain said grew significantly over the past year, with grocery and ecommerce business up by more than 50%.
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