Inspire Brands leader joins Shake Shack's C-suite
Shake Shack Inc. has added a restaurant veteran to its C-suite.
The burger chain has announced that Stephanie Sentell will join the company as chief operations officer, effective July 1. In the new role, she will oversee all company-operated domestic Shake Shacks, including over 12,000 team members. She will report to Shake Shack CEO Rob Lynch and work closely with the current senior executive leadership team.
“I have known Stephanie for more than 10 years and she is one of the most dynamic and compassionate leaders that I have ever worked with,” said Lynch, who joined the company earlier this year from Papa Johns International. “She brings a wealth of operational experience and has consistently improved margins and enhanced operational efficiencies across brands, channels, and formats, including drive-thru, with a data driven approach that will further improve and optimize the way we operate our Shacks.”
Sentell most recently served as senior VP of company operations at Inspire Brands, where she oversaw the operations of more than 1,100 company-owned Arby’s restaurants and led 22,000 restaurant team members across the United States.
She spent over 11 years at Inspire Brands and Arby’s. Earlier in her career, Sentell spent over 11 years at Dairy Queen as the director of marketing and a franchise owner.
“Shake Shack is an incredible company that places its team members, guest experience, and hospitality at the forefront of all decisions. I’m thrilled to join Shake Shack at a time when the brand is positioned for considerable growth opportunities across multiple verticals,” said Sentell. “I look forward to partnering with an amazing team of leaders who have already built a successful foundation and collaborating on key opportunities to win."
Based in New York City, Shake Shack operates over 530 locations system-wide, including over 340 in 33 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, and 190 international locations across London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Mexico City, Istanbul, Dubai, Tokyo, Seoul and more.