Award-winning restaurant hires new Chief Financial Officer, Vice President of Franchise Sales and Director of Loyalty and E-Commerce
Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux is continuing to stack its All-American Team of industry leaders as the brand rapidly expands across the United States.
Walk-On’s CEO and Co-Founder Brandon Landry announced today that the company has welcomed industry veteran, Sam Patterson, to its leadership team as Chief Financial Officer to continue building its winning culture. The brand also added Vice President of Franchise Sales, Mike Wootton, and Director of Loyalty and E-Commerce, Kelsey Cipriano, in February.
“We’re excited to welcome Sam to our team,” Landry said. “He brings decades of experience and knowledge to our already seasoned leadership team, and we look forward to seeing the immediate impact he makes on our company. Walk-On’s is in a hyper-growth phase, and it is a privilege to be surrounded by such talented individuals as we continue to expand throughout the country.”
Patterson joins the Walk-On’s team after serving as Chief Financial Officer for Global Franchise Group. He was responsible for the finance, accounting and information technology functions for the company and its brands, including Round Table Pizza, Great American Cookies, Marble Slab Creamery, Hot Dog on a Stick and Pretzelmaker. Prior to working for GFG, Patterson was with FOCUS Brands for 11 years, where he served as Senior Vice President of Accounting and was responsible for leading financial functions for Cinnabon, Carvel, Schlotzsky’s, Moe’s Southwest Grill, McAlister’s Deli, Auntie Anne’s, and Jamba Juice.
Wootton brings over 15 years of experience to Walk-On’s. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Franchise Development for Now Optics, building out all development processes for the growth of its telehealth-forward optical franchise offering My EyeLab. Before Now Optics, Wootton spent seven years as the Southeast U.S. Franchise Developer for Dairy Queen, where he handled existing and new franchise growth, sales activities and real estate selection. Wootton also spent seven years with Dominos on the franchise development team.
Another highly experienced industry leader, Cipriano previously worked for Inspire Brands for four years. She most recently served as Manager of Owned Digital Channel Marketing, guiding owned-channel marketing and loyalty for Buffalo Wild Wings, Arby’s, Sonic, Jimmy John’s, Dunkin’ and Rusty Taco. Cipriano also worked with all of Inspire’s portfolio on email communication, push notification, SMS and web content uniformity, ensuring all marketing channels were seamlessly and correctly branded and appealing to guests. Cipriano also brings experience from Newell Brands, where she spearheaded the CRM execution for its cookware and appliance brands.
For more information, visit walk-ons.com. To inquire about franchise opportunities, please visit walkonsfranchising.com or contact Vice President of Franchise Sales Mike Wootton at 704.572.2499.
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