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Arby's creates chief innovation officer position
June 21, 2010
Arby's Restaurant Group Inc. has brought another former executive back into the fold with the appointment of Warren Chang to the newly created position of chief innovation officer for taste, quality and the customer experience.
Last month, the company brought back Hala Moddelmog to lead the company's turnaround plan as president. She had started her career with Arby's in marketing.
Chang, 54, will report directly to Moddelmog and will be responsible for leading innovation and change initiatives in the areas of product development, quality improvement and the customer experience.
Chang brings more than 30 years of restaurant and retail experience to the new position, including, most recently, service as president of Carino's Italian – a 140-unit chain of casual dining restaurants headquartered in Austin, Texas.
Chang's extensive background includes strategic brand planning, research and development, marketing, and advertising while working for some of the world's leading brands, including McDonald's, Yum! Brands, Applebee's and Frito-Lay.
Like Moddelmog, Chang has prior Arby's experience, having lead both the brand's restaurant marketing and menu and product development from 1994 to 1998.
"Warren brings a wealth of restaurant experience to the Arby's leadership team. His appointment is another example of the decisive steps we're taking to reinvigorate the Arby's brand, improve same-store sales and grow profits," Moddelmog said in a press release. "Our goal is to add new energy and focus to Arby's ability to connect to our customers' needs and accelerate our speed to market with innovative, high quality products."
Moddelmog is moving forward with the brand's turnaround plan, which was developed earlier this year by Roland Smith, CEO of Arby's parent company Wendy's/Arby's Group Inc. The initiatives include adding a national value menu, an increase in national advertising and a rebranding campaign in an effort to restore the chain's slumping same-store sales, which were down 11.5 percent for the first quarter.
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