MILFORD Conn. The Subway Franchisee Advertising Fund Trust, a group that has feuded with Subway's home office over the sandwich chain's co-op ad fund, has named Jeff Moody to the post of executive director and chief executive.
Jeff Offutt, chairman of the SFAFT board, said Moody's experience in both marketing and operations set him apart from the rest of the job candidates. A longtime veteran of the foodservice industry, Moody served as chairman, CEO and president of 800-unit Metromedia Restaurant Group from 2005 to 2007. During that time he revamped menus, restructured operations and rebuilt franchise relations for the Bennigan's Grill & Tavern, Steak and Ale and Ponderosa chains. From 1997 to 1999 he was president of KFC restaurants when it was owned by Yum! Brands predecessor, Tricon Global Restaurants. He also was an executive at PepsiCo Restaurants Inc., and headed up the global rollout of Pizza Hut's Stuffed Crust Pizza.
SFAFT was created to market and promote the 27,000-plus-unit Subway chain around the world. The group, which indicated last year that it represented about 10,000 stores, sued Subway franchisor Doctor's Associates last year over changes in the chain's standard franchising agreement. The alterations allowed Doctor's Associates to manage the chain's cooperative advertising fund, which was estimated at the time to exceed $500 million. In its lawsuit, SFAFT said it wanted to resume control over the fund.