Smashburger Rebuilds Its Leadership to Restart Growth

Smashburger has named Kate Savelli chief marketing officer and added two senior leaders, Theresa Vitale for non-traditional franchise development and Jack Reed for Western operations. The Denver brand, owned by Jollibee Foods, runs 184 locations across 29 states and six countries. It is targeting up to 12 openings in 2026.

Why Leadership Hires Matter to Operators

A franchisor's executive bench is a leading indicator of the support a franchisee will actually receive. Marketing drives traffic, development teams source and approve sites, and operations leaders set the standards that protect unit economics. When a brand fills all three roles at once, it is rebuilding the machine its franchisees depend on rather than chasing a single quick fix.

The Non-Traditional Development Signal

Hiring a director focused on non-traditional venues, such as travel hubs, campuses, and other captive locations, shows where Smashburger sees lower-cost growth. These sites carry built-in foot traffic and smaller footprints, which can lift returns when full-size restaurants are expensive to build. For operators, it points toward formats that fit tighter real estate budgets in a high-rate environment.

What to Watch Next

Twelve openings in a year is a modest target for a 184-unit system, which tells you Smashburger is prioritizing disciplined growth over headline unit counts. The brand has cycled through ownership and strategy shifts since 2007, so the real test is whether average daily sales and new-unit returns improve before the company pushes for faster expansion. Operators weighing the brand should track those numbers, not the press releases.