David Chang’s Fuku fried-chicken concept is poised to leave the New York-based Momofuku nest with the appointment of the chain’s first-ever CEO.
Alex Muñoz-Suarez, formerly president of Momofuku, has been named CEO of Fuku as the fast-casual concept looks to grow in high-profile arenas. The brand currently operates concession stands in Audi Field in Washington D.C., University of Michigan, Madison Square Garden in New York, Hard Rock Stadium in Florida, Citi Field in New York, Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. and Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
Fuku, which also has four brick-and-mortar shops, has separate offices from Momofuku in New York but share some resources. While Momofuku has an ownership stake, the fast-casual Fuku "is its own company with a dedicated CEO and board of advisors," the company said.
The move comes more than a month after the Momofuku restaurant group named Marguerite Zabar Mariscal its first-ever CEO. That left Muñoz-Suarez, who had been with Momofuku since 2017, open to take sole leadership of the Momofuku’s fried-chicken shop.
He will be leading a “multi-pronged approach” to build out brick-and-mortar locations as well the brand’s burgeoning concessions business with an eye towards adding venues in the Mid-Atlantic region and California, the company said.
Muñoz-Suarez also wants to expand Fuku’s reach to airports.
Fuku, founded in 2015, has three restaurants in New York City and one in Boston. A fifth brick-and-mortar restaurant is set to open this summer at Rockefeller Center in New York.
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Update, June 6, 2019: This story has been updated to clarify Momofuku's ownership stake in Fuku.