Uncommon Brands today announced the appointment of Douglas Kwong as Vice President of Marketing and Lucious Kimble III as Corporate Controller. The company also promoted Jack Franken to Vice President of Finance and Strategy. The Dallas-based restaurant group’s portfolio includes Fuego Tortilla Grill, a fast-casual concept known for its handmade tortillas and oversized tacos, and The Rice Box, a Houston-born Chinese American restaurant concept.
“Douglas has helped grow some of the most respected brands in the restaurant industry, and Jack and Lucious bring the financial and operational experience we need,” said Garrett Mills, Chief Executive Officer of Uncommon Brands. “We’ve been intentional about bringing together people who understand what it takes to build strong businesses, including recognizing leaders like Jack who have already made a significant impact here. He’s helped build the financial and data foundation we run the business on. Douglas and Lucious also bring an established working relationship in marketing and finance from their time together at &pizza. We’re excited for what all three will bring to our portfolio.”
As Vice President of Marketing, Kwong will lead marketing strategy across the Uncommon Brands portfolio, focusing on brand positioning, guest acquisition and loyalty. He brings more than two decades of experience driving brand transformation for restaurant and consumer brands. Kwong’s experience includes leadership roles at Pei Wei, Cicis Pizza, Urban Air Adventure Parks and, most recently, &pizza. At Pei Wei, Kwong played a key role in separating the brand from P.F. Chang’s and relaunching it with new positioning. During his tenure, e-commerce revenue increased from 8% to 30% of total sales. He also contributed to a 17% increase in average unit volume and 16% unit growth at Urban Air Adventure Parks. At &pizza, Kwong served as Head of Marketing, where he led guest acquisition and loyalty initiatives, including the launch of &pass, the brand’s pizza subscription program.
Kimble joins Uncommon Brands as Corporate Controller with more than a decade of accounting and finance experience in the restaurant and hospitality industries. He will oversee companywide accounting and financial reporting. Prior to joining Uncommon Brands, Kimble served as Corporate Controller for &pizza, where he led the accounting function and supported financial operations for the restaurant portfolio.
Franken has been promoted to Vice President of Finance and Strategy, where he will serve as a strategic partner to the Chief Executive Officer and leadership team. In his expanded role, he will lead financial planning and strategic analysis, as well as evaluate investment opportunities across the portfolio. His experience includes roles in corporate finance and investor relations at Wingstop. Since joining Uncommon Brands, Franken has led the development of its Snowflake data infrastructure and AI-enabled reporting platform. He also oversaw the financial onboarding of Fuego Tortilla Grill and The Rice Box and established a repeatable process for future acquisitions.
The leadership moves strengthen Uncommon Brands’ capabilities across marketing, strategy and finance as the company scales its portfolio and supports each brand’s distinct identity.
