WOWorks, the holding company of better-for-you restaurant brands, Saladworks, Frutta Bowls, Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh and The Simple Greek, announced that Brian Farris has been appointed as the company’s Chief Development Officer, effective January 3, 2022. Farris has more than 20 years of operational and development experience in expanding fast-casual restaurants and franchise companies. He most recently served as Brand President for Intelligent Office.
“Brian’s extensive experience in operations and development with established fast-casual restaurants and franchise companies is the perfect fit for WOWorks’ current stage of accelerated growth. His passion for clean, healthy eating aligns with WOWorks mission to bring fresh, nutritious and flavorful meals to guests everywhere,” says Kelly Roddy, CEO of WOWorks. “With a number of newly signed franchise deals this past year, Brian will be driving our team towards building a stronger and faster development process, as well as steering WOWorks explosive growth in non-traditional and traditional verticals.”
Farris will report to Roddy and oversee all four of WOWorks’ restaurants’ franchise development, including franchise sales, real estate procurement and development support. Prior to his role at Intelligent Office, Farris has also served as Vice President of Operations at Schlotzsky’s and Vice President of International Operations at Focus Brands. Farris has also led teams in Finance, Marketing, Operations and Development for Quiznos and Boston Market brands.
“I’m excited to join WOWorks during this critical phase of development. In an extremely short amount of time, they have had tremendous success and expansion with co-branded restaurants, ghost kitchens, and grocery retail,” says Farris. “I was attracted to WOWorks’s family of restaurant brands because of their focus in offering nutrient-dense ingredients with a high level of customization that can meet a variety of dietary needs – from vegan to dairy-free. I look forward to working with Kelly and the rest of the leadership team to help drive their non-traditional and traditional growth strategy forward and create strong support for our franchisee network.”
WOWorks franchise owners come from different backgrounds, including existing franchise owners of different brands; varied business ownership backgrounds, such as construction, hotels, and fitness; former professional athletes; and military veterans. The company has franchising opportunities available in 49 states (all states excluding Hawaii) and offers 25 percent off franchise fees for veterans.
