Fast casual seafood leader welcomes industry pro to executive team
Captain D’s LLC, the leading fast casual seafood restaurant, announced today that Bob Kraut has joined its executive team as chief marketing officer. Bob will be responsible for leading, developing and executing the company’s marketing strategies to further increase brand awareness and continue the brand’s strong sales growth. Captain D’s, known for serving freshly prepared seafood for more than four decades, has been generating strong growth with over five consecutive years of same store sales increases and three successive years of record high system-wide AUV’s.
“We are proud of our rich history and our impressive sales growth, but we are just getting started as Captain D’s is uniquely positioned for further success in 2017 and beyond. Bob brings more than three decades of experience to Captain D’s, and we have no doubt that we will continue to take the brand to new heights with his marketing leadership,” said Phil Greifeld, chief executive officer and president of Captain D’s. “Our compounding success and ongoing nationwide expansion is a direct reflection of the efforts of our talented people, and we are thrilled to welcome such an accomplished industry veteran who shares our guest-centric values to the D’s team.”
Kraut has extensive experience leading the marketing activities of several national food service companies, including Papa John’s and Arby’s. “I am delighted to partner with Phil and the D’s team. The brand’s momentum is powerful and there is tremendous upside in front of us,” said Kraut. Over the course of his 30+ year career, Kraut has helped several brands experience remarkable success, with Papa John’s, Arby’s and Pizza Hut each achieving record-breaking sales growth under his leadership. In 2014, he received the CMO Club’s CMO’s Choice Award and is a top 30-ranked CMO according to ExecuRank. Kraut earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing and philosophy and an MBA from the State University of New York. He is also a graduate of the advanced management program for international managers at Harvard Business School.
With 518 restaurants in 21 states, Captain D’s is the fast-casual seafood leader and number one seafood franchise in America ranked by average unit volume. Coupled with its ongoing menu innovation, Captain D’s credits its new restaurant beach design with contributing to the brand’s compounding success.
The company is currently seeking single- and multi-unit operators to join in the brand’s rapid expansion. For more information about franchise opportunities, visit http://www.captaindsfranchising.com or call 800-550-4877.
Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., Captain D’s has 518 restaurants in 21 states, plus military bases around the world. Captain D’s is the nation’s leading fast casual seafood restaurant and was named the #1 seafood chain in the QSR 50, ranked by AUV. Founded in 1969, Captain D’s has been offering its customers high-quality seafood at reasonable prices in a welcoming atmosphere for more than 46 years. Captain D’s serves a wide variety of seafood that includes freshly prepared entrees and the company’s signature hand-battered fish, which is cooked to order. The restaurants also offer premium-quality, grilled items such as shrimp, and surf and turf, as well as hushpuppies, desserts and freshly brewed, Southern-style sweet tea, a Captain D’s favorite. For more information, please visit www.captainds.com.
