Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop and Wing Zone, two of the fastest growing fast-casual restaurant concepts in the country, announced the hiring of industry veterans Michael Meche as Chief Restaurant Officer and Scott Wessel as Chief Technology Officer in an effort to further support both brand’s explosive growth.
Meche comes from 30 years spent working with one of the nation’s most successful pizza companies, Papa Johns, where his most recent role was serving as their Head of Franchise Operations. He spearheaded the continued growth and development of that franchise, helping establish the brand as a market leader here in the U.S. before deciding that he wanted to try his hand at effecting those same results with a more up-and-coming entity. He now looks forward to supporting this new family of restaurants and their franchisees.
“I had no ambition of leaving the company I’d been with for decades,” says Meche. “But the prospect of joining a brand as value and purpose-driven as Capriotti’s and Wing Zone, whose current trajectory and market presence remind me of Papa Johns from 20-years ago, was a clear opportunity to have a hand in the success of a franchise that could benefit far more from my experience and input.”
Wessel is a seasoned and very accomplished hospitality technology executive with more than 20 years’ experience in providing direction for large technological, infrastructure, application, data, and digital environments. He was most recently a Senior Vice President / Chief Information Officer at MGM Resorts International, which includes iconic resorts such as Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Borgata, and more.
“While well-positioned in the industry, the Capriotti’s and Wing Zone brands are in the infancy of their technological advancement,” said Wessel. “In this role, I’m hoping to create a roadmap from scratch that will guide the adoption of cutting-edge tech and practices capable of keeping the company at the forefront of the [quick-service] sector.”
Both Meche and Wessel are united in their goals for the immediate future. Their shared hope is to drive revenue and innovation, support the growing needs of the franchise system, develop an infrastructure capable of withstanding the widespread expansion of both brands, and help Capriotti’s and Wing Zone to remain ahead of the competition in their automation, guest experience, and culinary creativity.
“The expansion of our C-suite is meant to signal more than just the growth of our internal operations. It’s representative of the team we’re building to oversee and ensure that the culture, quality, and commitment of the Capriotti’s and Wing Zone brand’s remain uniform and unwavering as we continue to rapidly develop in new markets around the country,” says David Bloom, Chief Development and Operating Officer for Capriotti’s and Wing Zone.
Founded in 1976, Capriotti’s is most famous for its 40-year nightly tradition of slow-roasting whole, all-natural turkeys in-house and hand-shredding them each morning to feature in a variety of subs. This includes The Bobbie, the shop’s acclaimed best-seller, made with homemade turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and mayo on a soft roll. Founded in 1993, Wing Zone is an international fast-casual restaurant franchise known for its cooked-to-order, flavor-fused chicken wings, and tenders.
Both brands are backed by a corporate leadership team that offers a continuous support program for franchise partners through online and field programs, which provides significant support for marketing, retail sales, operations, and growth strategies through every stage of their ownership.
