Smoothie King Franchises Inc. has named Chris Andrews as chief information officer, the company said Tuesday.
Andrews, most recently CIO at Pei Wei Asian Diner, succeeds Adam Zeitsiff in the information technology role at the Dallas-based smoothie brand, a spokesperson said.
Andrews will oversee Smoothie King’s information technology strategy and develop the franchise group’s digital infrastructure.
Photo: Smoothie King CIO Chris Andrews
Wan Kim, Smoothie King CEO, said in a statement that Andrews “brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in both IT and the restaurant industry, and his technical skills are second to none.”
Prior to joining Pei Wei two years ago, Andrews served in IT roles at On The Border Mexican Grill and CEC Entertainment Inc., parent to the Chuck E. Cheese’s brand.
Andrews becomes the third C-level executive to join Smoothie King’s leadership team this year. Earlier this spring, the company hired Rebecca Miller as its chief marketing officer and Thomas Kim as its chief financial officer.
Smoothie King was founded in 1973 in Kenner, La., and now has more than 1,000 locations in 34 states as well as several countries abroad.
For the 2018 fiscal year ended Dec. 31, Smoothie King reported $415.7 million in U.S. systemwide sales, up 10.4% from the Preceding Year, according to NRN Top 200 data. The company reported U.S. year-end systemwide unit count of 901 in the period, with 29 of those company-operated, for growth of 10.6% over the Preceding Year.
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