Leading Executives in Fast Food Restaurants
Chris Kempczinski
President & Chief Executive Officer, McDonald's
President and CEO since 2019, Kempczinski leads the Accelerating the Arches growth strategy and, in 2024, also became board chair, steering aggressive global unit expansion and digital loyalty growth.
Joshua Kobza
Chief Executive Officer, Restaurant Brands International (Burger King, Tim Hortons, Popeyes, Firehouse Subs)
Longtime RBI operator turned CEO in March 2023, Kobza oversees a 30,000+ unit portfolio and led leadership changes to accelerate growth across brands.
Jonathan Fitzpatrick
Chief Executive Officer, Subway
Appointed CEO effective July 28, 2025, Fitzpatrick is a former Burger King EVP and Driven Brands CEO, hired to reinvigorate Subway’s U.S. and international growth under new owner Roark Capital.
Scott Boatwright
Chief Executive Officer, Chipotle Mexican Grill
Former COO named CEO in November 2024, Boatwright is leading Chipotle’s 7,000-restaurant North America ambition and renewed international push.
Russell Weiner
Chief Executive Officer, Domino’s Pizza
CEO since 2022, Weiner is executing the “Hungry for MORE” strategy and driving U.S. and international share gains as seen in 2025 results.
Rob Lynch
Chief Executive Officer, Shake Shack
Joined as CEO on May 20, 2024 after leading Papa Johns; tasked with scaling Shack’s global footprint while preserving its people-first culture.
Andrew T. Cathy
Chief Executive Officer, Chick-fil-A
Only the third CEO in company history, Cathy leads the privately held QSR’s domestic scale-up and international expansion (with a 2024 elevation of a new president).
Press room | Corporate media hotline | News release
Paul Brown
Co‑Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Inspire Brands (Arby’s, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, SONIC)
Co-founder and CEO of the Roark-backed multi-brand platform overseeing 33,000+ restaurants and category-leading brands across QSR and fast casual.
Leadership page | Press contact
Scott Mezvinsky
Division Chief Executive Officer, KFC (Yum! Brands)
Promoted to KFC Division CEO effective March 1, 2025, Mezvinsky now leads KFC’s global brand strategy and performance across 150+ countries.
Sean Tresvant
Division Chief Executive Officer, Taco Bell (Yum! Brands)
Became Taco Bell Division CEO on Jan 1, 2024 and continues to push product and beverage innovation that’s helped the brand outpace burger rivals.
Aaron Powell
Division Chief Executive Officer, Pizza Hut (Yum! Brands)
Global brand CEO since 2021, Powell is modernizing Pizza Hut’s asset base and digital experience to drive growth worldwide.
Todd Penegor
President & Chief Executive Officer, Papa Johns
Former Wendy’s CEO appointed in Aug 2024 to lead Papa Johns; has since pushed a tech-forward turnaround including AI-enabled ordering.
David Scrivano
President & Chief Executive Officer, Little Caesars
Longtime CEO credited with global growth and community impact initiatives like the Love Kitchen, now celebrating 40 years.
Michael J. Skipworth
President & Chief Executive Officer, Wingstop
CEO since 2022, Skipworth has scaled Wingstop past 2,500 locations and driven record unit growth and digital sales.
Lance Tucker
Chief Executive Officer, Jack in the Box (and Del Taco)
Named permanent CEO on March 31, 2025 after serving as interim; focused on capital discipline and an asset‑light model to restore performance.
Paul Carbone
Chief Executive Officer, Panera Brands (Panera Bread, Caribou Coffee, Einstein Bros.)
Former CFO appointed CEO in March 2025 to lead Panera’s transformation and growth after a period as interim chief executive.
Debbie Stroud
President & Chief Executive Officer, Whataburger
Succeeded Ed Nelson as President & CEO on January 1, 2025, bringing three decades of operations experience from Starbucks and McDonald’s to drive nationwide expansion.
Troy Bader
President & Chief Executive Officer, International Dairy Queen (DQ)
DQ’s CEO since 2018, Bader is guiding the Berkshire Hathaway unit through a complex cost environment while advancing global expansion.
Tom Curtis
President, U.S. & Canada, Burger King (RBI)
As President of Burger King U.S. & Canada, Curtis is leading the system’s multi‑year Reclaim the Flame plan to revitalize operations and marketing with franchisee backing.
Brand newsroom | RBI announcement (context)
Jeff Klein
President, U.S. & Canada, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen (RBI)
Promoted in March 2024, Klein now leads Popeyes U.S. & Canada, focusing on operational consistency and digital modernization to unlock growth.
RBI release | Brand release | Media email
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