Name: Jennifer Pecoraro-Striepling
New title: Chief development officer, Portillo’s
Previous title: Chief development officer, Miller’s Ale House
Pecoraro-Striepling has over 25 years of experience in large-scale restaurant development and global restaurant growth with leading multi-unit restaurant and retail brands, according to a press release. In her most recent role, at Miller’s Ale House, she oversaw enterprise development and market-driven expansion strategies prioritizing scalable execution. She has also held roles at Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux, Papa Johns, Bloomin’ Brands, Kohl’s and Darden.
“Jennifer brings the experience, strategic vision, and people-first leadership we need as we continue to expand Portillo’s into new and key markets,” Brett Patterson, Portillo’s president and CEO, said in a statement. Patterson also worked at Miller’s Ale House as CEO, overlapping with Pecoraro-Striepling’s tenure at the brand.
In her new role at Portillo’s, Pecoraro-Striepling will direct the chain’s development strategy, including real estate and site selection, designing prototypes and construction. She will be a key part of Portillo’s long-term expansion, as the chain grows its footprint while preserving its guest experience and operational excellence, per the press release.
Portillo’s has shifted its real estate strategy in the last few months after several new restaurants in Texas failed to deliver strong average unit volumes after restaurants opened too quickly and too close together, Michael Miles, chairman of the board, said, in January during the ICR Conference. For example, in Houston, the company opened five restaurants within 20 miles of each other, causing the restaurants to cannibalize each other’s sales, he said.
The company slowed its new store openings so that it could focus on maintaining healthy unit economics, Miles said during the company’s February earnings call. It is separating new store openings with “more time and distance,” he said.
During the fourth quarter, the chain opened its first restaurant in the Greater Atlanta area in Kennesaw, Georgia. At 6,200 square feet, that location is about 20% smaller than most of the Portillo’s restaurants that opened in the last five years. That restaurant had over $2 million in sales during its first eight weeks, Miles said. The chain will open its next restaurant in the Atlanta region about 50 miles from Kennesaw in 2027.
“Each time we have entered a new market over the last 10 years, we've seen a similar response with 7 of those [early market] restaurants also exceeding $2 million over their first 8 weeks,” Miles said. “Our approach over the next several years will consist of more of these types of entries, tapping into the pent-up demand from Portillo's fans to support our first in-market openings, then letting awareness and demand build before opening subsequent restaurants.”
