RAVE Restaurant Group is reshaping its executive team to signal investors and franchisees that the company is focused on the expansion and development of its Pizza Inn and Pie Five Pizza brands.
Jay Rooney has been appointed RAVE’s chief financial officer, coming over from Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, where he had served as CFO since 2018. Before that, he held financial leadership positions at Brinker International for nearly 20 years.
“I’m truly honored and excited to take on this new role with such an established company,” Rooney said in a press release. “Along with my new colleagues, I’m looking forward to helping create further growth and expansion for years to come.”
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Other new executives include:
- Zack Viljoen, vice president of operations for RAVE and general manager of Pie Five
- Carlos Cojulun, marketing director of Pizza Inn
- Denise Wilson, associate vice president of supply chain
- Roger Mangum, director of operations and training
- Liam Finn, director of franchise development
The new appointments come at a time when RAVE reports experiencing strong growth. At the start of the year, the company recorded its 15th consecutive quarter of profitability, including same-store sales growth at both Pizza Inn and Pie Five. The company said it “outshone competitors including Pizza Hut, Papa John’s, Domino’s and Chipotle” in 2023.
Additionally, after 24 years of decline, Pizza Inn has seen consecutive years of net buffet unit growth.
As Pizza Inn’s new marketing director, Carlos Cojulun oversees national and regional in-store, digital, social and out-of-home brand marketing and promotions. According to the press release, Cojulun is “known for pioneering innovative strategies, with more than three decades of leadership experience at Fortune 500 companies including Procter & Gamble, Del Monte Foods and Amgen.”
In Viljoen’s new role as VP of operations for RAVE and GM of Pie Five Pizza, he takes on full responsibility for marketing and operations, training operations and compliance, as well as driving scale reimagining for Pizza Inn buffets. Previously, Viljoen was senior director of marketing and strategy, overseeing all growth initiatives and leading strategy developments.
“These new members of our team are all highly skilled and experienced pros who will be essential to building a strong future,” Brandon Solano, CEO of RAVE Restaurant Group, said. “We’re focused on doing everything we can to honor our company’s long history while satisfying our customers, franchisees and investors for years to come.
