The Habit Restaurants Inc. has named Douglas Branigan chief development officer, the company said Tuesday.
“We are pleased to welcome Doug to the Habit team, who brings with him more than 20 years of leadership in restaurant operations and development,” said Russ Bendel, president and CEO of Habit Restaurants. “His experience will be a valuable asset to us as we continue to expand throughout the U.S.”
Before joining Habit, Branigan was chief development officer at Black Bear Diner. Earlier, he was COO of Sprinkles Cupcakes and senior vice president of franchise operations at Smashburger.
Branigan has also worked for Mimi’s Café, Morton’s of Chicago, and Chart House Enterprises.
The Habit Burger Grill debuted in Santa Barbara, Calif., in 1969. Since then, the Irvine, Calif.-based fast-casual operator has expanded to more than 175 restaurants in 10 states, plus two international locations.
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