Einstein Noah names new chief concept officerEinstein Noah names new chief concept officer

Former Panda Restaurant Group executive Glenn Lunde has been named chief concept officer for Einstein Noah Restaurant Group Inc., the company said Monday.

Lunde, who previously was senior vice president, chief guest officer for Panda Restaurant Group, replaces James O’Reilly as Einstein Noah’s chief concept officer. O’Reilly left the Lakewood, Colo.-based bagel chain operator in early 2012 to become chief marketing officer for Sonic Corp.

Prior to working at Panda, Lunde was senior vice president, chief marketing officer and chief concept officer for Round Table Pizza Inc., after spending eight years at Taco Bell in product development.

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Jeff O’Neill, Einstein’s president and chief executive, said in a statement, “Glenn possesses significant expertise in successfully defining and driving the direction for accomplished brands in both the fast-casual and quick-service segments, and we are confident this know-how will be a tremendous asset for Einstein Noah as we continue to elevate our brands and accelerate our growth.”

Einstein Noah operates, franchises and licenses more than 815 restaurants under the Einstein Bros. Bagels, Noah’s New York Bagels and Manhattan Bagels brands.

Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected].
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