CKE Restaurants appointed Iwona Alter as brand president for Carl’s Jr, according to a LinkedIn post. She succeeds Blake Devillier, who left his post in October after a year and a half, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Alter worked at The Habit Burger Grill for the past seven years, most recently serving as chief operating officer for three years, according to her LinkedIn profile. While at Habit, she worked on strategy and operational planning processes as well as improving the guest experience through new channels and touchpoints and new processes and training, according to Alter’s LinkedIn. She also worked on digital and technology integration to support the guest and team member experience.
Prior to Habit Burger, Alter spent over a decade at Jack in the Box in various positions in operations and marketing. Her most recent position with the chain was chief marketing officer.
“Iwona is a dynamic strategic leader with deep expertise in both operations and marketing within the QSR industry,” CKE Restaurants wrote in the LinkedIn post. “She brings a proven track record of translating vision into actionable goals and supporting franchisees to drive brands forward.”
Alter’s new job will likely include rolling out new menu innovation similar to Carl’s Jr.’s recent offerings like the Cali XL Burger which came out during November and pitted the chain against McDonald’s. Carl’s Jr. offered guests who brought in a McDonald’s receipt a free Cali XL burger, which the chain claimed had double the meat compared to the Big Mac. The company also added a Snack Stash menu, including onion rings, waffle fries and fried zucchini last April.
Carl’s Jr. and sister brand Hardee’s Restaurants have over 3,600 franchised and company owned restaurants domestically and in over 35 international markets and U.S. territories, according to an August press release.
