Tin Drum Asiacafé hires former Arby’s executivesTin Drum Asiacafé hires former Arby’s executives

Ray Biondi (left), COO, and Joe Ippolito, VP of operations, at Tin Drum

Tin Drum Asiacafé has named two former Arby’s Restaurant Group Inc. executives to new positions.

Ray Biondi, Arby’s former senior vice president of franchise management, has been named Tin Drum’s new chief operating officer. Joe Ippolito, Arby’s former vice president of operations, has been named Tim Drum’s vice president of operations, the company said this week.

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“We have hired industry leaders with exceptional experience at developing systems, people and culture to aggressively grow the Tin Drum brand,” Tin Drum chief executive and founder Steven Chan said in a statement.

Biondi most recently oversaw Arby’s franchise management. Prior to that role, he was a partner and senior vice president at Atlanta-based RTM Restaurant Group Inc., Arby’s largest franchisee, which was sold to Triarc Companies Inc. in 2005. Earlier, Biondi was on the founding team of D’Lites of America.

Ippolito most recently oversaw Arby’s Midwest operations. He has also worked with such restaurant brands as Firehouse Subs, Tim Hortons and Boston Market.

Twelve-unit Tin Drum recently added seven new corporate positions. Other recent hires from Arby’s include Jen Forbes, Tin Drum’s director of franchisee training; DawnAgueros, the company’s new director of human resources; and Amy McQuiston, manager of administration. In addition, Elisa Gumbel, formerly with Atlanta-based Mellow Mushroom, was named marketing director, and Jon Schinelli, an eight-year Tin Drum franchisee, was named operations support manager.

In October 2012, Atlanta-based private-equity firm BIP Opportunities Fund bought a minority interest in Tin Drum.

Tin Drum’s pan-Asian menu features more than 35 items made with Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese and Indian influences and 15 signature sauces. The company recently moved its headquarters from Atlanta to Roswell, Ga. It recently announced upcoming restaurant openings in Central Florida and Nashville, Tenn.

Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected].
Follow him on Twitter: @RonRuggless