Industry veteran joins popular quick-service restaurant
Taco John’s International, Inc., the franchisor of Taco John’s – the restaurant that has been serving bigger. bolder. better. flavors since 1969 – announced today the hiring of Kelly Hopper as its new chief financial officer.
“Kelly brings a wealth of financial knowledge to Taco John’s,” said CEO Jim Creel. “She is a seasoned leader with a successful background, and we are all thrilled to welcome her to our team. I have no doubt that Kelly will add tremendous value to our company.”
Hopper, an experienced executive, joins Taco John’s with an extensive background in finance and the restaurant industry. She began her career with Ernst & Young before progressively moving up to higher-level responsibilities at Yum! Brands. She first served as senior internal audit analyst at Yum! Brands before taking on controller and finance responsibilities in Western Europe. She also worked in Yum! Brands as a dealmaker in mergers and acquisitions, divesting of groups of company stores and working with financially troubled franchisees. She then moved into a Pizza Hut role, primarily working to help franchisees improve profitability.
After leaving Yum! Brands, Hopper consulted for TGI Fridays, serving in the role of project CFO for a major initiative that included a focus on menu mix analysis. She served in the multi-unit health care industry as controller, and most recently, she was senior director at 7-Eleven in Dallas, where she held responsibility for much of the accounting in the U.S. and Canada and where she also held a senior role in franchising.
At Taco John’s, Hopper will manage the financial actions of the brand, including tracking cash flow and financial planning, as well as analyzing the company’s financial strengths and weaknesses and proposing corrective actions.
With its fusion of distinctive flavors and south-of-the-border spices, the Taco John’s menu offers several signature items, including Meat & Potato Burritos, Stuffed Grilled Tacos and Potato Olés. Taco John’s features signature specials like Taco Tuesday and discounted breakfast burritos on Wake Up Wednesday! Download the Taco John’s App and like Taco John’s Facebook page for exclusive deals.
Taco John’s operates and franchises nearly 400 quick-service restaurants in 23 states. Privately owned, the business opened its first restaurant in 1969 in Cheyenne, Wyo. Taco John’s prides itself on serving generous portions, menu items prepared fresh to your order, high quality ingredients and special recipes, seasonings and sauces. For more information or to apply for a position, visit tacojohns.com.
