Dive Brief:
- Yadav Enterprises has appointed several executives at Del Taco, with Ulyses Camacho becoming chief transformation officer, Noah Chillingworth taking on the role of chief marketing officer and Ellen Sasada returning to Del Taco as vice president of supply chain, food safety and quality assurance, the company said Thursday in a press release.
- The executives are part of Yadav’s plan to “sharpen systemwide execution, reinforce operational excellence and position the brand for a new evolution of category prominence,” according to the release
- Yadav Enterprises bought Del Taco last year for $115 million. Upon closing that transaction, Yadav Enterprises CEO Anil Yadav said his company would focus on supporting Del Taco in its next evolution.
Dive Insight:
The new executive will help Del Taco turn its business around after it experienced several drops in same-store sales, including a 3.9% decline during the fiscal fourth quarter, under former owner Jack in the Box. Del Taco franchisees struggled last year, and one Colorado franchisee closed 18 locations after filing for bankruptcy. Del Taco took over these stores, reopening 17 as company-owned.
Camacho, who has over 30 years of franchise restaurant experience, currently serves as president and COO at Taco Cabana and will continue in that position in addition to serving as chief transformation officer at Del Taco. At Taco Cabana, Camacho helped lead the taco chain through privatization after Yadav bought the chain in 2021.
In this newly created role, Camacho will oversee various transformation initiatives that support Yadav’s Del Taco acquisition. That will include working closely with Yadav leaders to help “drive operational excellence, financial performance and scalable growth,” the company said. He will work primarily on improving unit-level execution, as well as optimizing cost structures and modernizing various systems and processes.
Chillingworth, who previously worked at Del Taco for over 15 years as vice president of marketing, will work on shaping Del Taco’s marketing strategy, guest engagement and systemwide initiatives, per the press release. He left Del Taco to serve as CMO of Farmer Boys Restaurants. Upon returning to Del Taco, he will now focus on brand strategy, menu and promotional marketing as well as digital and loyalty platforms and guest insight.
“[Chillingworth’s] extensive industry experience coupled with unparalleled brand insight will serve to strengthen brand relevance, drive traffic and frequency and ensure marketing execution is closely aligned with operational priorities and long-term growth objectives,” the press release said.
Sasada previously worked as executive director of protein and multi concepts at Panda Restaurant Group. Earlier in her career, she worked for eight years with Del Taco focusing on purchasing, quality assurance, and food safety initiatives. In her new role at the chain, will oversee end-to-end supply chain strategy as well as food safety and quality assurance, particularly focusing on cost discipline, supplier partnerships and high-quality execution across the brand’s system.
“As we enter our next chapter, we are deeply committed to a foundation anchored by talented and experienced leaders who share our vision for growth and impact,” Yadav said in a statement. “Every executive who occupies a seat around our leadership table is part of a thoughtful approach to strengthen the organization and is responsible for making disciplined decisions that benefit our franchise partners, team members and guests, while positioning the brand to perform and scale for the long term.”
