Del Taco Restaurants, Inc., the second largest Mexican-American quick-service chain by units in the United States, operating restaurants under the name Del Taco, today announced M. Barry Westrum will join the company as Chief Marketing Officer. Westrum brings more than 25 years of marketing experience with nationally recognized brands, including Taco Bell, KFC USA, Long John Silver’s, A&W Restaurants, and Dairy Queen. He will be responsible for leading Del Taco’s global marketing strategy, reporting to President and Chief Executive Officer of Del Taco, John D. Cappasola, Jr.
“We are thrilled to welcome Barry to the Del Taco family,” John D. Cappasola, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer of Del Taco, says. “Barry is an established brand leader who has deep experience in strengthening brands, enhancing marketing and innovation, and creating strong partnerships with operators and franchisees to build sales and profits. As we look to further embed our quick-service restaurant-plus positioning to continue to drive brand momentum, Barry’s strong track record in our category will be an asset to our leadership team.”
“I am excited to join this iconic brand and work with John and this talented management team as they approach their next phase of growth,” says M. Barry Westrum. “Del Taco has had great marketing success to date, which has led to some of the best results in the restaurant category, and I look forward to working with the team to grow the Del Taco brand.”
Prior to joining Del Taco, Westrum held the position of Executive Vice President of Marketing for International Dairy Queen, Inc. (IDQ), a Berkshire Hathaway-owned company. Westrum joined IDQ to lead rapid revenue and profit growth for the 75 year-old brand. Before IDQ, he spent 17 years with Yum! Brands, working his way up from Associate Manager of Field Marketing at Taco Bell Corp. in 1998 to Senior Director of Brand Marketing in 2007. Westrum also held positions as Chief Marketing Officer at KFC USA, Chief Marketing Officer of A&W and Long John Silver’s Restaurants, and Dean of the Yum “Know How and Innovation Center.” He began his career at Tracy-Locke Advertising where he oversaw the Pepsi-Cola account, before joining Frankel & Company where he oversaw Chevron, Vans, Inc. and Nestle Food Company Brands. Westrum holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and Advertising from California State University, Fullerton.
