Church's Texas Chicken Names New Commercial Chief

Church's Texas Chicken has named Kevin Nemeth as executive vice president and chief commercial officer, a role that hands one leader control of brand, marketing, digital, loyalty, menu, and pricing. The move pulls together functions that often sit in separate silos. For franchisees, the point is simpler than the title suggests: more guests walking in more often.

What a Commercial Chief Actually Does

Nemeth will own the levers that turn brand awareness into restaurant-level sales, from CRM and loyalty to menu and product innovation. Putting those under one executive is a bet on coordination. When pricing, promotions, and digital all point the same direction, franchisees see steadier traffic instead of campaigns that work against each other.

Why His Track Record Matters

At Popeyes, Nemeth helped grow digital sales from roughly 4% to nearly 20% of the total and launched a rewards program that signed more than 5 million users in six months. That history is the reason Church's hired him. Digital ordering and loyalty raise average checks and visit frequency, the two numbers that most directly move a store's profit.

The Pressure Behind the Hire

CEO Roland Gonzalez framed the appointment around connecting with guests in more relevant and measurable ways, language that signals a brand chasing modern, data-driven growth. Church's has operated since 1952, and legacy chicken chains now fight younger, app-first competitors for the same value customer. Hiring a digital operator is how an established brand tries to close that gap without giving up the price position it is known for.