BurgerFi International, Inc. (Nasdaq: BFI, BFIIW) (“BurgerFi” or
the “Company”), owner of leading fast-casual brand BurgerFi and the
casual dining pizza brand Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza & Wings,
recently attracted industry veteran Carl J. Bachmann from a
larger burger chain and appointed him as CEO for their
organization. Bachmann, who will start with the Company on July
10th, is a career restaurant professional with extensive experience
in both the burger and pizza spaces. He has served in various
leadership roles and has an established record of growing brands
and helping them remain competitive.
“Carl brings a wealth of experience and knowledge in the
restaurant space that will be valuable for our enterprise. His
successful leadership of restaurants combined with his innovative
experiences, particularly within the burger and pizza spaces, give
him a unique and deep understanding of our brands - particularly
how to help drive us toward growth,” said Ophir Sternberg,
Executive Chairman of BurgerFi and Founder & CEO of Lionheart
Capital.
Prior to joining BurgerFi, Bachmann served as President for
Smashburger, the Denver-based chain that specializes in custom
burgers. In this role he launched a 5-point business plan designed
to accelerate growth, which he aimed to achieve by retooling the
entire organization including rebuilding the leadership team,
bringing back high-quality food products, redefining the real
estate portfolio, launching new food safety, service and
cleanliness and restaurant condition initiatives, and relaunching
the brand with a new marketing team and direction.
Under his leadership, Smashburger experienced double digit
systemwide same store sales growth along with double digit
expansion of both the corporate and franchise footprint. During his
leadership, Smashburger also migrated to new e-commerce platform,
resulting in a large increase in owned channel digital revenues and
improved customer experience. Bachmann initially joined Smashburger
in 2017 as Chief Operating Officer before taking on the role of
President.
Bachmann’s executive roles also include Senior Vice President of
Operations for Bertucci’s, the Boston-based brick oven Italian
concept, which he joined in 2014. Under his guidance, the company
experienced substantial EBITDA improvements and, in 2015, the
company recognized him as Executive of the Year.
Before Bertucci’s, for nearly 18 years, Bachmann dedicated his
talents and expertise to Ruby Tuesday, the casual dining chain. In
1994, he joined the company as Director of Operations and during
his tenure, the brand grew from 80 restaurants to more than 1,000.
He was recognized multiple times with the Chairman’s Award for top
executive leadership.
In 1998, Bachmann turned to entrepreneurship and purchased the
rights to the Ruby Tuesday concept on Long Island, NY. As an owner
and operator, he grew his portfolio to 10 locations and more than
$26 million in annual revenues. He was recognized as the Franchisee
of the Year twice. During his 12 years of franchise ownership,
Bachmann continued to support the organization through franchise
relations and support. He assisted with recruiting, onboarding,
training, and supporting new franchisees. His team trained and
developed numerous franchise teams in the U.S. and
internationally.
In addition to his professional endeavors, Bachmann has been
deeply involved with his community. He served as Chairman of the
Board of the Long Island March of Dimes for nine years. He has also
served on the organization’s state and national boards.
“My passion for the restaurant and hospitality industry started
at an early age and I’ve been fortunate to have been able to build
my career on something I truly enjoy,” said Carl Bachmann.
“BurgerFi and Anthony’s are two amazing brands that are committed
to offering guests the best quality products and service. I’m
honored to take on this leadership role and help guide the
organization into an exciting future.”
For more information about BurgerFi, visit www.BurgerFi.com. To
learn more about Anthony’s, visit www.acfp.com.
About BurgerFi International (Nasdaq: BFI,
BFIIW)BurgerFi is chef-founded and committed to serving
fresh, all-natural and quality food at all locations, online and
via first-party and third-party deliveries. BurgerFi uses 100%
American Angus Beef with no steroids, antibiotics, growth hormones,
chemicals or additives. BurgerFi's menu also includes high quality
Wagyu Beef Blend Burgers, Antibiotic and Cage-Free Chicken
offerings, Fresh, Hand-Cut Sides, and Frozen Custard Shakes and
Concretes. BurgerFi was named “The Very Best Burger” at the 2023
edition of the nationally acclaimed SOBE Wine and Food Festival,
"Best Fast Casual Restaurant" in USA Today's 10 Best 2022 Readers’
Choice Awards for the second consecutive year, QSR Magazine's
Breakout Brand of 2020 and Fast Casual's Top Ten Brands for 10
consecutive years and in 2021 #1 Brand of the Year. Consumer
Report's Chain Reaction Report awarded BurgerFi an "A-Grade Angus
Beef" rating in 2018. In 2021, Consumer Report praised BurgerFi for
serving "no antibiotic beef" across all its restaurants for the
third consecutive year. To learn more about BurgerFi or to find a
full list of locations, please visit www.burgerfi.com. Download the
BurgerFi App on iOS or Android devices for rewards and 'Like' or
follow @BurgerFi on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. BurgerFi® is a
Registered Trademark of BurgerFi IP, LLC.
About Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza & Wings
Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza & Wings was acquired by BurgerFi
International Inc. (Nasdaq: BFI, BFIIW), on November 3, 2021 and is
a premium pizza and wings brand that operates 60 corporate-owned
casual restaurant locations. Known for serving fresh, never frozen
and quality ingredients, Anthony's is centered around a 900-degree
coal fired oven with menu offerings including "well-done" pizza,
coal fired chicken wings, homemade meatballs, and a variety of
handcrafted sandwiches and salads. Anthony's was named "The Best
Pizza Chain in America" by USA Today's Great American Bites and
"Top 3 Best Major Pizza Chain" by Mashed in 2021. To learn more
about Anthony's, please visit www.acfp.com.
IMAGE: Carl J. Bachmann
Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release
may contain “forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements
relating to BurgerFi’s estimates of its future business outlook,
prospects or financial results, including potential growth, as well
as the future employment of Mr. Bachmann. Forward-looking
statements generally can be identified by words such as
“anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,”
“plans,” “predicts,” “projects,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will
likely result,” and similar expressions. These forward-looking
statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that
are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause our
actual results to differ materially from those reflected in the
forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute
to such differences include, but are not limited to, those
discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
January 3, 2023, and those discussed in other documents we file
with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All subsequent written
and oral forward-looking statements attributable to BurgerFi or
persons acting on BurgerFi’s behalf are expressly qualified in
their entirety by the cautionary statements included in this press
release. We undertake no obligation to revise or publicly release
the results of any revision to these forward-looking statements,
except as required by law. Given these risks and uncertainties,
readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such
forward-looking statements.
Investor Relations:ICRMichelle
MichalskiIR-BFI@icrinc.com646-277-1224
Company Contact:BurgerFi International
Inc.IR@burgerfi.com
Media Relations Contact:Ink Link MarketingKim
MillerKmiller@inklinkmarketing.com
BurgerFi (NASDAQ:BFI)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jan 2025 to Feb 2025
BurgerFi (NASDAQ:BFI)
Historical Stock Chart
From Feb 2024 to Feb 2025