Name: Tom Rose
New Title: President, Del Taco
Previous Title: President, Principle, RP2 Ventures
Tom Rose, who was appointed as Del Taco’s president on Tuesday, has a had a 30-year career in restaurants and franchising according to a press release from Del Taco’s parent company, Jack in the Box. Rose recently consulted with the company on its efforts to strengthen its company-owned locations in the Kansas City market.
Prior to his work as a restaurant consultant, Rose “spent a decade as co-founder and franchisee of North Star Foods, a restaurant franchise management and acquisition firm specializing in maximizing operational excellence and sustainability.” During that period, North Star grew to 130 units and $200 million in systemwide sales as a KFC and Taco Bell franchisee, according to the press release.
Tom Rose's Restaurant Resume:
- Sep. 2017-Present: President and Principle, RP2 Ventures, LLC.
- 2006-2017: Partner and Chief Operating Officer, North Star Foods LLC.
- 1998-2006: Board member and Chief Operating Officer, Kohlberg and Company (Orion Food Systems)
- 1990-1998: Director of Operations, Yum Brands
What’s on Rose’s Plate:
Rose takes over as Del Taco president in place of Chad Gretzema, who left the company to pursue another opportunity.
Jack in the Box has been working to increase the number of franchised Del Tacos since it acquired the brand back in 2021. Last year, Jack in the Box brought on the Cypress Group to aid in the refranchising of company-owned units. During the company’s most recent earnings call, CEO Darrin Harris said Del Taco has refranchised 66 units in fiscal 2023 and expects to refranchise between 90 and 120 restaurants this year.
Rose will oversee and continue this transition towards an asset-light model. Del Taco was roughly half-franchised, half-company owned at the start of 2022, when Jack in the Box completed the acquisition, according to a recent earnings release. The brand is now about 55% franchised.
Del Taco is also working to return to net unit growth through franchising. This effort has been supported by the brand’s addition of new menu items, deployment of drive-thru voice AI and an overhaul of its loyalty system. Those efforts, aimed at boosting sales and reducing costs, have seen same-store sales rise by 1.7% in the most recent quarter, which ended July 9. Additionally, Del Taco opened the first of a smaller, off-premise-only unit type this year, which could speed up unit development and growth in the future.
