Pieology Pizzeria, announced that industry veteran Bob Baker has been named company president. Baker will join CEO and founder Carl Chang in promoting and managing the growth of Pieology. Currently, Pieology Pizzeria has 23 restaurants in California, Colorado, and Oregon, with locations planned for Texas, Minnesota, and Ohio, with more in California and Oregon in coming months.

Baker comes to Pieology with more than 25 years in the restaurant industry serving in senior operating, development, and financial functions. Most recently, he was president and CFO of Salt Lake City-based Cafe Rio Mexican Grill, where he was a key leader in supporting the expansion from six locations in 2005 to over 70 locations today.

Before Cafe Rio, Baker served in various leadership roles at YUM Brands and KFC Corporation.  While at KFC from 1989 through 2002, Baker held several positions including financial planning, strategic planning, restaurant and field operations, and M&A support. At YUM, Baker first served as senior director of corporate planning and strategy and then as USA Controller in 2005. 

“After meeting and spending some time getting to know Bob, it was apparent that we shared many of the same fundamental philosophies in our leadership styles, passion for food, and most importantly, building a community-focused brand," Chang says. "He has a strong and enduring passion for the restaurant industry as demonstrated by his 25 years in the business. As we continue to expand across the nation, we believe Bob will be instrumental in strategically managing our growth to maintain and advance our uncompromising promise of quality and value to our guests."

“Pieology's singular focus on the guest experience built around high-quality and flavorful ingredients, friendly service and value is very impressive,” Baker says. “As the early segment leader in fast casual pizza, what Carl Chang and his team have built at Pieology is very exciting. I am honored to join the team and help support the company’s continued growth.”

“I am also very grateful for my time at Cafe Rio over the past nine years,” Baker added. “Cafe Rio is an exceptional Mexican fast-casual concept with very loyal fans and outstanding food.  The focus that Cafe Rio has on high quality food and service with energy makes it a standout in the restaurant space. The company has a long runway of growth ahead of it, and I am appreciative of the enduring relationships that I have built with the entire Cafe Rio team.”