Jon Gilliam
Jon Gilliam got his start in foodservice as a barista at a California Starbucks and worked his way up to general manager. After holding various roles at Jamba and SusieCakes Bakeries, Gilliam joined Moe’s Southwest Grill, where he oversaw operations, training and retail technology for 720 locations. But when the opportunity arose to lead Yoshinoya Japanese Kitchen—the brand Gilliam grew up eating while working at the Starbucks next door in Los Angeles—he was “stoked” and jumped right in.
“I used to go there for lunch breaks and have their beef bowl, a super craveable product,” Gilliam recalled. The brand “has tremendous latent equity and has been a staple in California for a while. The team has done a great job remodeling and modernizing the brand, and it was sitting there waiting to be unlocked.”
Gilliam is now CEO of Yoshinoya, a global brand. The first Yoshinoya restaurant opened in Tokyo in 1899. With more than 2,400 stores worldwide, subsidiary Yoshinoya America started franchising in 1997 and has grown to 102 locations in the U.S., 24 of which are franchised.
“Coming from Moe’s where much of the focus was streamlining operations, that’s certainly top of mind for me this year,” Gilliam said. “I think about doubling down, to make it easier for team members to do real kitchen cooking … 30 percent of stores have a drive-thru, and we unlocked a ton of growth coming out of COVID.”
The brand launched an app and a loyalty program in 2020, plus added third-party delivery and improved drive-thru operations. New menu items will continue to nod to the brand’s 100-year-old Japanese heritage and “emphasize kitchen cooking without the wait,” Gilliam added.
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Send promotions and new hire news in franchising to Callie Evergreen, cevergree@franchisetimes.com.
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August 27, 2021 at 07:08PM
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New Yoshinoya CEO Aims to Streamline Operations | Franchise Talent | franchisetimes.com - Franchise Times
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