Burger King Gets a New COO

Restaurant Brands International, the parent company of Burger King, announced Friday that former Domino’s exec Tom Curtis will be the new chief operating officer of Burger King Americas and will start in mid-May. In his new role, Curtis will oversee field operations, restaurant development, and restaurant operations and report to Christopher Finazzo, president of Burger King Americas.

Curtis got his start in the fast-food industry as a Domino’s store manager in 1985. He later ran a franchise in the New Haven, Connecticut area from 1987 to 2006 before taking a job at the corporate level. He most recently served as EVP of Operations and Support at Domino’s and was responsible for both franchise and company-owned operations.

Curtis joins Burger King at a time of major transformation for the fast-food company. As reported by Restaurant Dive, part of Curtis’s new job will be to oversee the modernization of 10,000 drive-thrus across the U.S. Burger King has said it plans to add digital screens that offer remote, contactless payment, implement predictive selling technology and integrate its loyalty programs to these drive-thrus by 2022.

After about an 11% drop in systemwide sales last year and a decrease during its breakfast and late-night hours, COO for parent company Restaurant Brands International Josh Kobza said Burger King plans to double down on delivery. Delivery sales were over two times higher in 2020 compared to the previous year, and digital sales accounted for 8% of all Burger King sales in the U.S.

"We are excited to add another seasoned expert to our leadership team and for our entire system to benefit from his impressive experience and operational expertise," Finazzo said in a press release. "Tom will be an important leader and asset in our journey to provide an exceptional guest experience at Burger King, including rapidly scaling our digital capabilities and offering a consistent and loved experience at our restaurants.