Jack in the Box Inc. announced the promotion of Elana M. “Lani” Hobson to senior vice president of operations. Hobson, a 36-year veteran of the company, was previously vice president of operations.
“Since becoming our VP of Operations in 2010, Lani’s responsibilities have expanded to include oversight of all company and franchised restaurant operations, franchising, and operations initiatives,” says Lenny Comma, president and chief operating officer. “She has played a key role in the development and execution of several major internal-service programs that have improved our overall guest-satisfaction scores and contributed to 10 consecutive quarters of comparable sales growth at company restaurants. Going forward, her role will continue to evolve as she increases her focus on developing new initiatives that will continue to drive our restaurants’ performance.”
Hobson joined Jack in the Box in 1977 as a team member at a restaurant in Hayward, California. After serving as team leader and assistant manager, she was promoted to manager of a Jack in the Box restaurant in San Lorenzo, California, in 1981. In the years that followed, Hobson took on positions of increasing responsibility, including district manager in 1986 and area manager in 1998. In 2003, she was promoted to regional vice president of the company’s North Coast region, which included more than 160 restaurants in Northern California and Hawaii. In 2007, Hobson relocated to the company’s corporate offices in San Diego as division vice president of guest service systems, and in 2009, was promoted to division vice president, operations initiatives.
“Throughout her long career at Jack in the Box, Lani has been a great role model for employees at all levels of the organization,” Comma says. “She’s shown how a willingness to take on new challenges and to continually invest in personal and professional development can pay off.”
In addition to her executive responsibilities, Hobson serves on the board of the nonprofit Jack in the Box Foundation, which supports numerous charitable organizations in Jack in the Box restaurant communities. She also serves on the boards of Natural High and the California Diversity Council.
Hobson is a graduate of California State University, East Bay in Hayward with an MBA and bachelor’s degree in finance.
