The authentic Hawaiian-style food brand adds Clay Hansen to its C-Suite
It’s mo’ growth ahead for Mo’ Bettahs Hawaiian Style Food. In preparation for unprecedented expansion, the popular Hawaiian BBQ concept has added to its C-suite and named Clay Hansen its Chief Financial Officer.
Hansen joins Mo’ Bettahs with experience in finance, IT, marketing and strategy — both in and outside of the F&B industry. He worked at Cafe Rio for 10 years, where he built out the FP&A team and oversaw its growth from 38 to 140-plus locations. Most recently, Hansen worked at Greenix Pest Control, where he served as VP of Marketing and Business Development, then VP of Strategy, and then as CIO. During his time at Greenix, he oversaw revenue growth that doubled from $60MM to $120MM.
“Clay will be an incredible asset to our team,” said Rob Ertmann, CEO of Mo’ Bettahs. “He has the unique perspective of being both detail-oriented and big-picture focused. Our culture here at Mo’ Bettahs is fast-paced and growth-minded, and Clay will fit right in. We are thrilled to work alongside him.”
Hansen’s expertise comes at a pivotal time for Mo’ Bettahs as it expands across the country. It currently has 52 locations in seven states, along with two digital kitchens in Kansas City and Dallas. For the remainder of 2024, Mo’ Bettahs plans to add 10 additional stores and three digital kitchens.
“I’ve never had a welcome like I’ve had at Mo’ Bettahs. Within 10 minutes of accepting the offer from Rob Ertmann, I had multiple text messages from the team telling me how excited they were to have me join,” Hansen said. “Mo’ Bettahs is an exciting brand with a phenomenal growth trajectory and strategy. And while it might sound a bit cliché, it’s the people who initially drew me in — from the team at Savory to the entire team at Mo’ Bettahs. They really do practice the aloha spirit they preach.”
Mo’ Bettahs was founded in Bountiful, Utah in 2008 by Kimo and Kalani Mack with a goal of providing guests with an authentic Hawaiian island barbeque experience, just like they enjoyed while growing up in Oahu, Hawaii. Since partnering with Savory Fund, Mo’ Bettahs has grown to 52 locations in Utah, Idaho, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Nevada, and Kansas. Mo’ Bettahs has plans to spread the aloha spirit to more communities through continued expansion in the coming months and years, even being named at #46 on Fast Casual’s “Top 100 Movers and Shakers” list in 2023. Mo’ Bettahs offers dine-in, takeout and catering. For more information, visit Mo’ Bettahs’ website or follow on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.
Savory Fund is an innovative private equity firm that combines over $750 million in assets under management with a growth playbook and expertise that has been developed over 15 years of operating in the restaurant industry. Savory partners with high-potential, profitable, emerging restaurant brands to deliver financial capital, industry expertise, growth and revenue opportunities, profitability enhancements, and new location development. The Savory team contributes directly to all aspects of growth and replication by using a proven playbook and methodology. Founder involvement in the expansion of a brand is a central theme of the Savory approach as founders carry the tribal knowledge around the uniqueness that has energized early success and is essential to future growth. Savory is currently invested in 11 brands: Swig, R&R BBQ, PINCHO, Via 313 Pizzeria, Houston TX Hot Chicken, Mo’ Bettahs Hawaiian Style Food, 86 Repairs, Saigon Hustle, Hash Kitchen, The Sicilian Butcher, and South Block. For more information, visit SavoryFund.com.
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