Jim Russo

Jim, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, started his career with Restaurant Associates in December 2000 at Bear Stearns where he was hired to spearhead the planning of their new world headquarters building at 383 Madison Ave. His planning went so well that Restaurant Associates was awarded their Executive Dining Room and two other locations in Brooklyn and Whippany, New Jersey. Jim went on to run a very successful business and was promoted to General Manager in 2004 and then on to Regional Director in 2007 with added responsibilities for many other key client accounts. In 2008, Jim's efforts were recognized with the Director of the Year Award for Restaurant Associates.

Jim was promoted to Senior Vice President of Operations in 2019 and has been instrumental in leading and supporting RA during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has successfully opened and operated many of Restaurant Associates' top businesses for some of the most prestigious clients and oversees the largest portfolio of corporate accounts in the company. In 2021, he was promoted to Managing Director of the Managed Services division, overseeing all workplace and higher education accounts.