10 restaurant unit economics experts
Unit economics work in this group shows up under several names: development finance at First Watch and McDonald's, franchise profitability at Burger King and Yum! Brands, new restaurant openings and restaurant finance at CAVA, and a restaurant profitability coach at CKE Restaurants. It suits a chain testing whether a new site model holds up, working out why franchisee margins are slipping, or deciding how much capital to commit to openings.
Professionals to explore
Curt Franchuk
LinkedInExperience: Former Restaurant Profitability Coach · CKE Restaurants, Inc.
Since 2016, Curt Franchuk has been Restaurant Profitability Coach at CKE Restaurants, Inc., and held Franchise Business Consultant (2010-2016) and Training Consultant (2004-2010) titles there, plus Regional VP at Hardees Restaurants (2020-2022). Franchuk describes taking seven restaurants that were losing $40,000 a period to $17,000 over plan, which makes Franchuk a fit for questions on turning around individual unit profit.
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Frank Maggio, CPA, CMA, FPAC
LinkedInExperience: Director Finance - Development · First Watch Restaurants
Frank Maggio, CPA, CMA, FPAC has been Director Finance - Development at First Watch Restaurants since 2024, after Director Finance - Treasury Development (2023) and Director of Financial Planning & Analysis (2022-2023) there. Maggio describes developing and maintaining new site models including ROI analysis, working with the Chief Development Officer and SVP Finance. At Publix Super Markets, Maggio was Senior Manager - Financial Planning & Analysis (2014-2022) and Senior Manager - Planning & Goals (2005-2014).
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Judd Campbell
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director, New Restaurant Openings · CAVA
New restaurant openings at CAVA are Judd Campbell's area as Senior Director, New Restaurant Openings since 2024. Campbell's other titles were Director, New Store Development and Real Estate (2023-2024) and Senior Manager of Store Planning (2022-2023) at Batteries Plus, and Director, Restaurant Growth and Performance (2022) and Manager, Restaurant Strategy and Performance (2020-2022) at Whataburger. Campbell describes leading a Restaurant Growth Center team on new unit openings, new market entries and existing units with room to grow sales and profit.
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Ken Wahrman
LinkedInExperience: Former Financial Director - Restaurant Development · McDonald's
At McDonald's, Ken Wahrman's titles are Senior Director of Strategic Planning - US Restaurnat Development since 2023, Director of Strategy and Analytics - Restaurant Development (2011-2024), Financial Director - Restaurant Development (2001-2011), Finance Manager (1997-2001) and Financial Systems Analyst (1994-1997). Wahrman describes market planning tools to find new store and reinvestment opportunities and better capital spending forecasts, a fit for capital allocation questions.
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Matthew Cox
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director of Restaurant Finance & Operational Performance · CAVA
CAVA's Senior Director of Restaurant Finance & Operational Performance since 2026, Matthew Cox was Senior Director of Restaurant Insights & Analytics there (2022-2026). At Taco Bell, Cox was Business Strategy & Analytics Leader (2018-2022), Sr Manager - Customer Experience & Ops Insights (2016-2018) and Manager - Operations Analytics (2014-2016). Cox describes specializing in financial management and strategic planning, which suits questions on tying restaurant analytics to unit-level results.
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Molly Pizzola
LinkedInExperience: Former VP Development Strategy and Analytics · Wingstop Restaurants Inc.
Four Wingstop Restaurants Inc. titles appear in Molly Pizzola's career: VP, COE Insights & Analytics since 2026, VP Development Strategy and Analytics (2024-2025), Sr. Director, Strategic Finance (2023-2024) and Director of FP&A (2021-2023). Pizzola describes owning development and growth strategy covering market planning, restaurant economics and capital deployment, and directing $500M in growth capital, so questions on where new units earn back their cost fit here.
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Ryan Pearson
LinkedInExperience: Former Franchise Profitability, Burger King · Restaurant Brands International
Development & Capital Investments, Popeyes at Restaurant Brands International (since 2026) is Ryan Pearson's current role, after Real Estate Investments, Popeyes (2025) and Franchise Profitability, Burger King (2022-2025) there. Pearson describes profitability initiatives across North America in the Burger King role and setting investment structures and lease economics, a fit for questions on lease terms and franchise margins. Earlier roles were MBA Investment Associate at Rolling Bridge Capital (2020-2022) and Analyst at J.P. Morgan (2017-2020).
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Shivashish Pandey (CA, CMA, MBA, AMP-HBS)
LinkedInExperience: Former Chief Executive Officer, Yum Brands (Store Expansion, Portfolio Optimization, Talent Bench Strength) · Devyani International Limited
Wingstop Restaurants Inc. has had Shivashish Pandey (CA, CMA, MBA, AMP-HBS) as VP Managing Director, India since 2026. At Devyani International Limited, Pandey was Chief Executive Officer, Yum Brands (Store Expansion, Portfolio Optimization, Talent Bench Strength) (2024-2026), Chief Executive Officer, Pizza Hut India (2022-2023) and Chief Business Development Officer (2022-2023), and advised the board of KFC Indonesia (2023-2024). In Pandey's words: "I build consumer brands where growth is driven by unit economics".
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Yang Ming Ong
LinkedInExperience: Former Head of Strategy & Franchise Profitability Acting CFO · Yum! Brands
Yang Ming Ong was Head of Strategy & Franchise Profitability Acting CFO at Yum! Brands (2017-2018) and Director, Financial Planning KFC Asia (2015-2017), and describes driving franchise margin improvement and overseeing the regional supply chain in the strategy role. Ong also held General Manager International & VP Growth Strategy, The Habit Burger Grill at Yum! Brands (2021-2026), Chief Growth Officer APAC at Taco Bell (2024-2026) and General Manager Asia Pacific & Middle East, Texas Chicken at Church's Texas Chicken (2018-2021).
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Zack Viljoen
LinkedInExperience: Senior Vice President Operations Progressive Operations Leadership · RAVE Restaurant Group, Inc.
Zack Viljoen has been Senior Vice President Operations Progressive Operations Leadership at RAVE Restaurant Group, Inc. since 2024, after Interim Head of Finance (2023-2024), Senior Director Marketing and Strategy (2023) and Director, Strategy, FP&A and Business Analysis (2022-2023) there. Viljoen was also Chief Financial Officer at Intellifi_SA (2018-2023) and describes accountability for franchisee profitability and margin protection across Pizza Inn and Pie Five.
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Choose the right perspective
For new-site models and return analysis, start with the development finance and strategy titles held by Frank Maggio, Ken Wahrman, Molly Pizzola and Ryan Pearson, or with Judd Campbell for the openings themselves. For margins in units already open, Curt Franchuk, Yang Ming Ong, Zack Viljoen and Matthew Cox carry profitability or restaurant finance work in their titles or descriptions, and Shivashish Pandey's CEO titles fit questions about a whole market's portfolio.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01What assumptions in a new restaurant site model are most often wrong, and how do you pressure-test sales and build-out cost before approving a lease?
- 02How do you separate a franchisee margin problem caused by labor and food cost from one caused by weak sales?
- 03When existing units are underperforming, how do you decide between a remodel, a relocation or a closure?
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot; roles marked former had ended by then. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.