Reversed a $9M+ operating deficit; four years into self-operation the department held a $2.5M surplus.
Eliminated the third-party management fee for roughly $2M in annual savings.
Grew annual revenue by $11M and net profit by 40% over four years.
Led a $140M competitive RFP through solicitation, evaluation, award, and transition, securing $12M in contract bonuses and rebates.
Held COGS within two points of the pre-pandemic baseline through supply-chain disruption, labor inflation, and volatile consumer demand.
Managed $14M in annual spend, including $10M+ in food and beverage, through GPO and prime broadline structures, direct commodity and forward buys, and negotiated rebate and allowance agreements.
Transition economics
Contract-managed to self-operated in 180 days, zero service disruption.
27 supplier and service contracts negotiated and executed through legal and procurement to maintain continuity through the conversion.
$12M asset transfer managed through the conversion.
300+ associates had the opportunity to move to direct employment; 85% retained.
Overhauled the retail portfolio through three concept changes and four new-location builds.
Growth and innovation
Grew catering sales 400% in 18 months, then sustained 12 to 15% annual growth with 100% client retention.
Launched Grubhub enterprise mobile ordering and operated multiple ghost kitchens off the platform; 14% sales growth in year one, 25,000+ weekly orders.
Developed and launched nine original concepts in-house alongside the national brands.
Grew a two-acre garden into a 25-acre USDA-certified farm, with eight cultivated field acres, 15,000 sq ft of greenhouse production, and hydroponic facilities, producing 40,000+ lbs of organic produce annually and $240K in net cost savings.
Grew a closed-loop waste and sustainability program spanning pre- and post-consumer composting, 14,000 reusable containers in active circulation, and 100% compostable or renewable disposables across all service locations.
Replaced POS, digital ordering, kitchen display, and inventory systems across the entire enterprise in a three-month phased rollout, including an ingredient database of 9,000+ items and 100+ vendor integrations.
Brands and standards
Negotiated and executed master license and franchise agreements with eight national brands, each on its own terms: Chick-fil-A, Starbucks, Moe's, Dunkin', McAlister's, Cinnabon, Jamba, and Panda Express.
Operated two Starbucks and two Chick-fil-A locations simultaneously, holding identical brand standards and audit regimes across separate units, teams, and trade areas.
Chick-fil-A Guardian of the Brand: the first franchise location in company history to earn the honor two years in a row.
100% health inspection scores for 48 consecutive months, every month through my final four years.
Sustained gold-level ratings across brand-standards audits year over year.
Recognition
Innovator of the Year, National Restaurant Association, 2013. The overall award, selected from a national field that included Disney Resorts and the U.S. Air Force, on the strength of a closed-loop waste and sustainability platform.
Operator Innovations Award, National Restaurant Association: Closed Loop Waste and Sustainability, 2013, and Nutrition and Wellness, 2014.
Built the program from unranked to sustained national standing. It now ranks No. 1 in Georgia and No. 11 nationally out of 1,367 programs (Niche, 2026), with an A+ grade every year since 2013.
