Pizza Studio announced today that former Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and Panda Express chief financial officer, John F. Theuer, has joined Pizza Studio as CFO.
Pizza Studio is the most rapidly growing fast-casual pizza brand in the nation and intends to scale even more by adding Theuer to the leadership team. Pizza Studio currently has 30 locations in 10 states and the District of Columbia. Management expects to have more than 50 locations open by the end of 2015 with rapid company-owned and franchise unit growth continuing in 2016 and beyond.
Theuer was part of the executive team that led the sale of Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf to a trio of private equity firms led by Advent International. Prior to his position as the chief financial officer for Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, John F. Theuer served as the chief financial officer for Panda Restaurant Group Inc from July, 1999 to December 2010. At the end of John’s tenure, Panda Restaurant Group was the largest quick-service Chinese food operator in the world with more than 1400 locations in 37 states and $1.4 billion-plus in revenues.
“In looking for my next growth opportunity in the restaurant space, I wanted to join a high-performing team with a solid and exciting growth concept. Pizza Studio has excellent unit economics, a track record of growth, a great management team and a world-class group of franchisees. I am excited to be part of such a high performance team bringing this great product to markets across the country and internationally,” Theuer says.
A restaurant industry veteran with more than 25 years of experience with various hospitality industry brands, Theuer’s experience in franchise and company growth gives him invaluable knowledge in developing and building emerging fast-casual dining brands. As the new CFO, Theuer plans to strategically increase the number of Pizza Studio locations across the United States in order to drive profitable growth. Theuer knows the importance of rapidly expanding the Pizza Studio brand while also maintaining the already existing level of high-quality food and service.
“As we continue to grow the brand and enjoy our status as the most preferred fast casual pizza concept, we are always looking for ways to take the company to the next level,” says Samit Varma, Pizza Studio founder and CEO. “John’s experience in financial management, real estate development and capital raising are a timely addition that will help us realize our vision for the Pizza Studio brand.”
