Panera Bread announced that Andrew Rebhun will join the company as chief marketing officer on August 17, reporting to CEO Paul Carbone.
Rebhun's scope is broad:
"[Rebhun's] extensive expertise in the restaurant industry and focus on brand building, customer engagement, loyalty and growth strategy will be invaluable as we continue to transform our business," Carbone said in a statement.
Rebhun was most recently chief marketing and experience officer at Cava, the Mediterranean fast-casual chain, where he oversaw brand, marketing, digital, loyalty, communications, catering, and guest experience. Before that he was CMO at El Pollo Loco and held several marketing roles at McDonald's.
He leaves Cava after more than three years — a chain that has outperformed competitors on a relatively frugal marketing budget. That detail connects directly to the hiring logic here; we broke down Cava's model in Cava Beats Chipotle on About 1% of Revenue. Cava is now searching for a CMO focused squarely on brand and creative.
Previous CMO Mark Shambura departs this month. Panera credited his role in evolving the brand and driving menu innovation. Shambura also helped launch the Panera RISE transformation strategy, which targets $7 billion in systemwide sales by 2028. He was previously CMO at Papa Johns and MOD Pizza.
Last year Panera introduced a new campaign and tagline, "It Just Meals Good," reorienting the brand around sit-down dining for any occasion. More recently it teamed with creator Jake Shane to promote a mix-and-match value menu.
Three things overlap.
Changing CMOs mid-transformation carries risk. Accepting that risk suggests a firm conclusion that brand, digital, and loyalty need to be run by one person.
Most recently chief marketing and experience officer at Cava, and previously CMO at El Pollo Loco with several marketing roles at McDonald's. He joins Panera Bread as CMO on August 17.
Brand and creative, digital and loyalty, and media innovation and media, reporting directly to CEO Paul Carbone.
A transformation strategy launched with involvement from previous CMO Mark Shambura, targeting $7 billion in systemwide sales by 2028.
Cava has outperformed competitors on a comparatively frugal marketing budget, making the hire read as an attempt to import budget efficiency into a brand mid-transformation.
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