McDonald’s New York Metro Region announced that Gino Potesta—a member of the McDonald’s team for more than 30 years—has been appointed Vice President and General Manager, where he will oversee the strategy and overall performance of hundreds of McDonald’s restaurants throughout the region.

Potesta comes to the New York market after serving as general manager for the McDonald’s Pacific Sierra Region, working with area franchisees to create a strong, collaborative platform for delivering some of the best sales results in McDonald’s. Under his leadership, the Pacific Sierra Region proved to be one of the fastest growing McDonald’s areas between 2011 and 2015, performing among the top two regions in the United States.

“Gino is a dedicated professional with strong leadership skills,” says Debbie Roberts, McDonald’s US East Zone president. “He made an enormous impact in the Pacific Sierra Region and we look forward to leveraging his experience and the vision he will bring to the New York market.”

Potesta began his career at McDonald’s in 1980, starting as a crew member in South Florida. He rose through the ranks, serving as a restaurant manager, area supervisor and field consultant in the South Florida Region before moving to McDonald’s U.S. headquarters as an operations development manager. He also took on several roles in the Greater Chicago and Southern California Regions.

“Throughout my career at McDonald’s, I have had the pleasure to work with individuals across many regions who are committed to providing the best possible experience for their customers,” says Potesta. “I am excited to have the opportunity to work with one of the most fast-paced, rapidly growing regions in the country and I look forward to beginning this new chapter in my McDonald’s career.”

Potesta’s entry to the New York market comes at an exciting time for the McDonald’s brand. McDonald’s recently announced that mobile pay and ordering will begin rolling out this year at McDonald’s in the U.S. as well as other lead markets. In addition, McDonald’s is innovating its customer experience by adding self-order kiosks, table service and digital menu boards to additional U.S. markets this year. As the brand’s presence continues to evolve, Potesta will play an integral role in elevating the customer experience in the New York Metro Region.

“We are committed to delivering fresh food, excellent service and a contemporary restaurant experience to our customers,” says Potesta. “I look forward to working with the New York Metro team as we listen and learn from our customers to meet and exceed their expectations.”