QSR January 2023

BRAND OF THE YEAR T R A N S F O R M A T I O N A L

From revitalizing company culture and introducing a new store design to acquiring Del Taco, Jack in the Box is once again on a winning streak. JaCk IS B a ck / B Y C A L L I E E V E R G R E E N Donning a Ted Lasso costume for Halloween last year, Darin Harris just so happens to share a few qualities with the fictional American college football coach turned English soccer coach—from his optimistic demeanor to his ability to win over skeptics. Though, to be fair, Harris had no shortage of restaurant experience when he joined Jack in the Box as CEO. He helped lead the turnaround of Cicis Pizza as CEO from 2013 to 2018, resulting in 17 consecutive quarters of same-store sales and traffic growth after the brand was bought by a private equity firm. (For context, Cicis faced five straight years of negative restaurant sales and more than 200 restaurant closures before Harris joined). Before, he also revitalized restaurant growth in his senior vice president role at Arby’s, lead ing the global strategy for international, franchise, and non-traditional development.

HOLOGRAM STICKERS: ADOBE STOCK / ANTON PORKIN, TROPHY: ADOBE STOCK / PAMBUDI, JACK IN THE BOX

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JANUARY 2023 | QSR | www.qsrmagazine.com