Name: Nathan Baldwin
New title: Chief brand officer, Auntie Anne’s
Previous title: Group vice president of strategic innovation, The Fresh Market
Baldwin joined GoTo Food’s pretzel brand two months ago, according to a LinkedIn post. He has over 25 years of restaurant experience including multi-unit operations, franchise leadership and brand strategy, according to a Monday press release.
In his most recent post, at supermarket chain The Fresh Market, Baldwin was in charge of culinary research and development, restaurant concepts, private label and local product creations, catering, deli and prepared meals.
He began his career at Chili’s, serving as manager and then general manager and worked his way up to various leadership positions, including vice president of restaurant services and vice president of franchise development and strategic growth, according to his LinkedIn profile. Baldwin’s experience at Chili’s included leading teams spanning operations services, facilities management, guest and team relations and franchise growth, according to the press release.
In his new position, Baldwin will support Auntie Anne’s effort to continue expanding into high traffic street locations, airports and non-traditional locations. The chain debuted a new brand design earlier this year, which includes modular store formats that can reduce buildout costs. The concept is also expanding with co-branded locations and offering development incentives for agreements signed by Dec. 15, 2025.
“Auntie Anne’s is well on the path of modernization for the next generation of consumers by launching a new visual identity this year and remodeling more than 150 stores with a bold, modern and mobile-first design,” Mike Freeman, senior vice president, brands at GoToFoods, said in a statement. “Nathan Baldwin’s franchise operations expertise and focus on innovation will continue to position Auntie Anne’s as a leader in the growing snack category.”
