After more than 30 years of running the Athens, Georgia-based premium chicken QSR, the renowned Zaxby’s CEO and Co-Founder Zach McLeroy would become chairman of the company beginning in January 2022. The incoming chief executive officer of the business is Bernard Acoca. Acoca’s expertise will significantly aid the company’s expansion in managing some of the best restaurant concepts in the country, and McLeroy’s continuous involvement will guarantee that Zaxby’s ethos and founder-led history remain a guiding principle.
Childhood friends Zach McLeroy and Tony Townley opened Zaxby’s in 1990, serving delectable chicken fingers, wings, sandwiches, and salads in a quirky, joyful environment where patrons are treated like friends. The company has expanded to more than 900 outlets throughout 17 states because of the dedicated, active franchisee community.
Bernard Acoca is a seasoned executive and marketer with over a decade of experience in the restaurant business. Since March 2018, he has held the positions of El Pollo Loco’s CEO and president. Acoca oversaw the brand’s evolution over the past three and a half years, accelerating digital e-commerce, streamlining drive-thru and back-of-the-house operations, and doubling down on its L.A.-Mex brand placing with a new modern restaurant design in anticipation of aggressive franchise growth domestically.
He formerly worked for Starbucks for seven years as a member of the Leadership Team, holding positions such as president of Teavana and senior vice president, Marketing & Category for the Americas, where he managed categories with a combined $9B in sales. Acoca spent ten years with Yum! Brands before that, first as chief marketing officer for the Americas for L’Oréal.
Bernard is an experienced executive with a track record of boosting sales and earnings, said Nicole Agnew, an associate in Goldman Sachs’ private equity division and a Zaxby’s board of directors member. He has the expertise and modesty to guide Zaxby’s, its franchisees, and its staff to tremendous success in the future. Refer to this article for related information.
More about Acoca on https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zaxbys-ceo-and-co-founder-zach-mcleroy-to-transition-to-chairman-bernard-acoca-appointed-as-new-chief-executive-officer-301408117.html