Name: Jennifer Somers
New title: Chief shops officer, Dutch Bros
Previous title: Chief operations officer, Cava
Somers brings more than 20 years of leadership experience, including 10 years in restaurant operations, to her new position at Dutch Bros, the company said in a press release. In her new role, she will oversee the chain’s field organization and shop operations as well as growth and brand execution across company-owned and franchised units.
Somers most recently served as chief operations officer at Cava for over three years, according to her LinkedIn profile. During this time, she “led operations through rapid growth and helped elevate the guest experience,” according to the press release. Prior to that role, she worked at Taco Bell for six years in a variety of operations roles, most recently senior vice president of U.S. restaurant operations, the press release said.
Dutch Bros has several initiatives in the works that Somers will likely focus on, including the chain’s expected 2026 expansion of a hot food program. The chain also plans to open 1,000 more shops by 2029, doubling its shop count. The coffee company had 1,081 units across 24 states as of Sept. 30, 2025, according to the press release. Dutch Bros is also one of a handful of restaurant concepts to consistently grow same-store sales and traffic last year, posting positive comparable sales of 5.7% and traffic growth of 4.7% during the third quarter, according to an earnings release, on top of strong growth earlier in the year and in 2024.
