PDQ restaurants (People Dedicated to Quality) has promoted Nina Franchina to Chief People Officer for the Tampa-based concept, which currently has 62 locations in five states.
Franchina started with PDQ in 2013 in the Operations Department and established a training strategy for growth for the brand. She was quickly promoted into the role of Director of Training in 2014 before taking over as Director of Human Resources and Training in 2020.
In 2022, PDQ was named one of QSR Magazine’s Best Brands to Work For, a testament to the incredible work of Franchina and her team. Franchina was named one of the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s 30 under 30 award winners in 2017, and she was also nominated for Tampa Bay Businesswoman of the Year. PDQ is the current six-time reigning champion of Best Chicken Sandwich in Tampa Bay.
“Nina is the kind of person that makes us all love coming to work every day,” said PDQ Co-Founder Nick Reader. “Her incredible effort and attitude is infectious and makes us all better!”
“We’re so happy for Nina,” says PDQ CEO Kep Sweeney. “She is a delight to work with and is bright, full of empathy, and hard working. We are very lucky to have her on our PDQ team.”
Prior to joining the PDQ team, Franchina spent five years with Outback Steakhouse in Operations and Field Training. Franchina was born in Cleveland before moving to Tampa as a child. She attended Cambridge School, the University of Tampa and Cornell University for HR Management. Franchina currently resides in Tampa with her fiancé Matt and daughter Gemma.
