Burger concept The Counter announced that Peter Wright joined the corporate team as senior vice president of franchise sales. The Southern California–based company experienced growth after Oprah featured it as one of the “20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die.” To continue the momentum, Wright will be responsible for managing national expansion and growing franchisee relationships to open additional locations of The Counter’s burger concept.

Wright brings a wealth of knowledge and opportunities to The Counter from his past experience as director of franchise sales and administration at Panera LLC, where he negotiated 48 U.S. development agreements and assisted in negotiating the first Canadian agreement. Prior to Panera LLC, he built new business and market development relationships for Starbucks Corporation as the regional sales manager of business alliances.

“Peter is the ideal man for the job and brings expertise and understanding of the franchising business to the company,” says Jeff Weinstein, founder and co-CEO of The Counter. “His proven ability to identify hot, young growth opportunities makes him perfectly suited for building new partnerships for The Counter’s expansion.”

“The Counter’s ideal franchisees are restaurant developers with multi-unit operating experience looking to grow multiple locations within a region,” Wright says. “Jeff and senior management have done a stellar job articulating the company’s goals and vision to their partners. I expect to continue fostering that attention to detail and active participation.”