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Dutch Bros taps CKE executive as its new CMODutch Bros taps CKE executive as its new CMO

Tana Davila has more than a decade of experience in the foodservice industry, including eight years with P.F. Chang’s.

Alicia Kelso, Executive Editor

June 20, 2023

2 Min Read
Tana Davila CMO Headshot
Tana DavilaPhoto courtesy of Dutch Bros

Tana Davila has been named chief marketing officer at Dutch Bros, effective immediately. Davila most recently served as CMO of CKE Restaurant Holdings, parent company of the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s brands, where she’s served since 2022.

Prior, she served in various marketing roles at P.F. Chang’s for eight years, culminating in the CMO role from 2019 to 2022. She also spent five years at Grupo Bimbo. In the Dutch Bros role, she will oversee brand and product marketing, creative and the company’s rewards program. She will report to President Christine Barone, who joined the company in November from True Foods Kitchen.

“Tana is an accomplished marketer and has proven talent for elevating the efforts of exciting, established brands,” Barone said in a statement. “Her strategic skills and ability to create customer connections will be key as we continue toward our target of 4,000 shops in the next 10-to-15 years.”

Dutch Bros currently operates around 720 coffee shops, with plans for 150 more this year, including in markets like California and Texas. In a recent interview with Nation’s Restaurant News, CEO Joth Ricci said one of the company’s top priorities as it expands is to improve both brand familiarity and loyalty.  Fortressing and rapid expansion will help spread the word about the Dutch Bros brand and product, but there are other strategies for getting people in the door and making them lifelong customers. One of these strategies is a heavy-handed focus on discounting including last quarter’s “Fill-a-Tray” promotion, which the company said resulted in the “largest single sales day in Dutch Bros recorded history.”

Related:Dutch Bros names former True Food Kitchen CEO Christine Barone president

The company recently revamped its rewards program from a dollars-spent-to-points structure to surprise and delight-driven customization.

Davila holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies and German and an MBA, Brand Management from Emory University.

Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]

About the Author

Alicia Kelso

Executive Editor, Nation's Restaurant News

Alicia Kelso is the executive editor of Nation's Restaurant News. She began covering the restaurant industry in 2010 for QSRweb.com, FastCasual.com and PizzaMarketplace.com. When her son was born, she left the industry to pursue a role in higher education, but swiftly returned after realizing how much she missed the space. In filling that void, Alicia added a contributor role at Restaurant Dive and a senior contributor role at Forbes.
Her work has appeared in publications around the world, including Forbes Asia, NPR, Bloomberg, The Seattle Times, Crain's Chicago, Good Morning America and Franchise Asia Magazine.
Alicia holds a degree in journalism from Bowling Green State University, where she competed on the women's swim team. In addition to cheering for the BGSU Falcons, Alicia is a rabid Michigan fan and will talk about college football with anyone willing to engage. She lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with her wife and son.

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