Sarat Koneru

Sarat serves as Senior Vice President of Operations for Bell American and oversees the operations of 270+ restaurants across 8 states. Sarat began his career with the Pillsbury Company in Marketing and later joined PepsiCo/YUM! Brands as a Manager of New Concepts charged with growing the restaurant portfolio via non-traditional channels. As National License Manager, Sarat led a team that grew the Taco Bell Express concept from a base of 100 locations to over 2,000 locations within a 5 year span. After a 10 year career with PepsiCo/YUM! that encompassed leadership roles in both Development and Operations, Sarat moved to the franchise side of the business when he joined Southern Bells in 2003 leading the Operations team that managed the portfolio of 76 Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut Express locations in IN, IL, and KY. He joined Flynn Restaurant Group when FRG acquired Southern Bells, and has overseen the expansion of Bell American from 76 units in 2013 to over 270 today.

Sarat received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is married with two children.