Smoothie King gets a new CFO, Portillo's hires its first CMO and other restaurant executive shifts

Gavin Felder is Smoothie King's new chief financial officer and Nick Scarpino was elevated to marketing chief at Portillo's, plus more restaurant executive news of the week. 

Gavin Felder will be the new CFO for Smoothie King, starting May 28. He spent the last 16 years at Yum Brands, serving most recently as chief strategic officer. Before that, he served in a number of leadership roles, including commercial director for KFC U.K.; CFO of KFC Africa; and CFO of the Global KFC division.

Chicago-based Portillo’s this week added two to the c-suite.

‌Keith Corraia was named chief information officer. He previously served as CIO at Steak n’ Shake, where he revitalized technology for that 90-year-old brand.

‌At Portillo’s, he will oversee the expansion of the company’s IT platform and guide the team to modernize and improve efficiencies across the brand’s tech platforms to benefit both team members and guests, the company said.

‌In addition, Nick Scarpino was promoted to CMO, the brand’s first. He actually first worked for Portillo’s as a cashier while in high school. After working in digital advertising at Google, he returned to the company in 2015 and helped build the marketing team. Scarpino’s vision and expertise will elevate the brand’s profile as Portillo’s expands nationwide, the company said.

Full-service burger chain Ford’s Garage added two roles to its leadership team, naming David Rosenberger VP of operations and Wayne Stopford director of information services.

Rosenberger spent most of his career at Carrabba’s Italian Grill and then Mandola’s Italian Kitchen and has more than 27 years of restaurant operations experience. At Ford’s, he will oversee all aspects of operations and will work closely with franchisees.

Stopford was previously systems engineer for Bloomin’ Brands for 18 years and has three decades of IT experience. He will manage all of Ford’s technology.

Tampa-based Ford’s is a licensee of the Ford Motor Company and has 24 restaurants in six states.

Noble Hospitality Group has named Matt Smith as the new chief marketing officer, and Martin Heierling as Corporate Executive Chef.

‌The Las Vegas-based group, which is parent to the growing Mexican steakhouse Toca Madera and four other concepts, said Smith will oversee marketing operations for all five brands. He is also an advisor for the tech startup Curbit. Smith served previously as CMO of Dallas-based Milkshake Concepts, and, before that, was CMO of One Table Restaurant Brands and The Madera Group in Los Angeles.

Heierling is a veteran chef who previously held leadership roles at SBE, Urban Purveyor Group (later known as Rockpool Dining Group) in Australia, Quasar Hospitality, and Starr Restaurants. He also opened the restaurant Sensi at the Bellagio in Las Vegas; and he worked with Gray Kunz at Lespinasse at the St. Regis in New York City.

Donald Crocker has been named chief development officer for Smalls Sliders, spearheading the Atlanta-based chain’s expansion. Crocker was previously CDO for Inspire Brands where he led the development strategy for more than 32,000 restaurants worldwide. Before that, he was at Chick-fil-A for nearly two decades helping to guide that brand’s explosive growth.

Ruby Slipper Restaurant Group has named two new regional vice presidents to steer operational performance and growth. Derek Kamarata has been with the breakfast-lunch chain since 2021, previously serving as director of operations. His background includes operations positions at Cracker Barrel, P.F. Chang’s and CAVA. Kamarata will oversee operations in Tennessee, Alabama and the Carolinas.

Michael McBride | Ruby Slipper Restaurant Group

Michael McBride is a seasoned restaurant operations leader, from his early days at TGI Fridays to his long-standing tenure at Granite City Food & Brewery. He will be based in New Orleans, focusing on growth of Ruby Slipper and Ruby Sunshine in that region.

Both Kamarata and McBride assume the title of VP of Operations.