Noodles & Company announced that Victor R. Heutz has been named to the position of Chief Operations Officer. Heutz will be responsible for leading Noodles & Company’s cross-functional teams in day-to-day operations, strategic planning, and guest service. He will report directly to chairman and CEO Kevin Reddy.

“I am pleased to welcome Victor to our leadership team,” Reddy says. “Not only is Victor an accomplished executive, with more than 25 years of financial and multi-unit operational leadership experience, but I believe his enthusiasm and passion for excellence will be infectious in elevating our system-wide operations structure, while furthering our ‘Made Different’ brand positioning.”

Most recently, Heutz held the position of vice president of U.S. franchise operations at Buffalo Wild Wings, where he oversaw the company’s domestic franchise operations business unit. Prior to his role at Buffalo Wild Wings, he served as vice president of operations, mid-Atlantic region at Starbucks Corporation from 2009 to 2015, where he was responsible for overseeing the direct operations of the region and successfully drove revenue growth via through-put and service efficiencies, while improving profitability. From 2005 to 2009, he held the position of VP of franchise operations of Eastern U.S. for Cold Stone Creamery.    

“I am thrilled to be joining a unique brand that is building momentum across several initiatives,” Heutz says. “I look forward to working and collaborating with the entire Noodles & Company team to further capitalize on its differentiated positioning in the fast-casual restaurant space.”