Jim Hyatt, President and Chief Executive Officer of Church’s Chicken announced today that Robert Crews will serve as the Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer for Church’s Chicken. He will report directly to Hyatt.
Crews joins Church’s from The Wendy’s Company where he led the international marketing team and product development around the globe. In his new position at Church’s, Crews will be responsible for marketing, advertising and new product development. He will play an integral role in the strategic growth and positioning of the Church’s brand.
“Rob has a proven track record of growing sales and developing effective marketing programs that deliver impactful results. His reputation and skill set will bring a tremendous amount of value to the brand,” said Hyatt. “Rob joining Church’s management team strengthens our commitment to providing the best products and services to all our stakeholders.”
Asked about his new opportunity at Church’s, Crews said, “I’m very excited to join Church’s and looking forward to working with our franchisees, restaurant support teams and valued partners to contribute to the success of the brand and drive results system-wide.”
Previously, Crews was the Chief Marketing Officer for RARE Hospitality, Inc. that included LongHorn Steakhouse and Capital Grille where he repositioned the brand, implemented advertising and pricing changes and new products resulting in growth in guest transactions and same-store sales.
Crews was also the Chief Marketing Officer at Sonny’s Franchise Company, a mid-scale BBQ concept and held the same position at Grill Concepts, Inc., marketing Daily Grill, a casual-dining brand and The Grill on the Alley, a fine-dining brand.
Before joining Wendy’s, Rob founded C Results Marketing where he did extensive work with well-known restaurant clients including Arby’s and California Pizza Kitchen to improve profitability by building results-driven pricing strategies.
Crews holds a Bachelor of Science degree with honors in Economics and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Iowa.
Founded in San Antonio, TX in 1952, Church’s Chicken is a highly recognized brand name in the Quick Service Restaurant sector and is one of the largest quick service chicken concepts in the world. Church’s serves up a rich tradition of gracious Southern hospitality and freshly prepared, high quality, authentic Southern style fare, to help people provide affordable, complete meals for their families. Church’s menu includes flavorful chicken both Original and Spicy, Tender Strips and Southern Style Chicken sandwiches with classic sides and hand-made from scratch biscuits. The Church’s system consists of more than 1700 locations in 22 countries and system-wide sales of $1.2 billion. For more information on Church’s Chicken, visit www.churchs.com.