Caribou Coffee announced the appointment of Matthew Walls as its first Chief Franchise Officer. Walls will join the executive leadership team and lead Caribou’s domestic and international franchise businesses.
“Walls has an exceptional reputation for creating lasting partnerships with franchisees in the restaurant industry, and we are tremendously grateful to add his talent, experience and leadership to our team,” says John Butcher, president and CEO of Caribou Coffee. “His proven track record of leading franchising and growth efforts while working with both domestic and international partners makes him uniquely qualified to spearhead Caribou’s franchise business as we continue to build on our recent success.”
Walls brings more than two decades of franchising experience to his new role. He was most recently the Chief Global Development Officer at CKE Restaurants, Inc., the parent company of Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr., where he aided in rolling out a nationwide reimage program to enhance the brands; the program focused on remodeling stores, incorporating new technology, and enhancing operations. Walls’ extensive career also includes roles at Domino’s Pizza and Yum Brands, where he held various positions in operations, e-commerce, and logistics.
“I’m honored to join the passionate and hardworking team at Caribou,” says Walls. “The recent launch of the brand’s domestic franchise program, coupled with Caribou’s product innovation and world-class culture make the brand uniquely positioned for tremendous success. It’s a privilege to work with amazing teams—from our Support Center to our field teams—and I’m confident that in my role as Chief Franchise Officer I’ll help strategically develop the Caribou brand through franchising, both domestically and abroad.”
Caribou launched its domestic franchise program in October of 2021, building on the success of non-traditional (license) and international franchise operations. Since the program’s launch, the brand has signed franchise agreements in Ohio and Florida. Under Matthew Walls’ leadership, Caribou intends to continue to expand its domestic footprint across the U.S.
Since its inception in 1992, Caribou Coffee has emerged as a leader in the national coffeehouse segment, becoming known for innovative handcrafted products and an award-winning customer experience and growing to 732 locations systemwide, including 137 non-traditional locations nationwide and 261 international franchise stores abroad.
