Chipotle Expansion Marks Major Restaurant Shift
Chipotle is launching its first Mexican location, redefining fast-casual strategy for restaurant leaders and offering key lessons for international growth and partnerships.
Jul 14, 2026
Chipotle is launching its first Mexican location, redefining fast-casual strategy for restaurant leaders and offering key lessons for international growth and partnerships.
Jul 14, 2026
PizzaExpress will master franchise Houston TX Hot Chicken across the U.K. and Ireland, targeting 50 sites in three years with three openings in six months.
Jul 13, 2026
Wingstop posts 8.7% comp decline; leans on Club Wingstop loyalty, sports-heavy media, and smart kitchens to rebuild traffic. Investors eye July 29, 2026 results.
Jul 13, 2026
Love & Honey Fried Chicken signs 20-unit Southeast Florida deal, halves wait times, and lifts AUV to $2M as it scales franchising beyond the Northeast.
Jul 13, 2026
Wonder acquires Mighty Quinn’s BBQ, aligning ops and tech to scale via food halls and delivery, backed by funding as it readies Texas expansion and eyes a 2027–2028 IPO.
Jul 13, 2026
Slim Chickens’ president and COO Christina Vaughan shares brand, prototype, and AI strategies ahead of her QSR Evolution session on September 10.
Jul 13, 2026
Sensory-driven menu language boosts sales 27% and speeds decisions online and in-store. Data-backed tactics, examples, and pitfalls for operators.
Jul 13, 2026
OpenTable’s new Gold Tables rewards six completed bookings with priority seating, Uber One perks, and data-driven loyalty benefits across 500+ venues.
Jul 13, 2026
Kyle Wiborg leads a 10-unit drive-thru push as Rita’s Italian Ice opens its first DFW site and targets rapid expansion amid a growing frozen desserts market.
Jul 13, 2026
Rich Screnci leads a turnaround for Mrs. Fields and TCBY under Pearl Street Equity, focusing on fieldwork, digital upgrades, and franchise growth.
Jul 13, 2026
BJ's Restaurants has appointed Monika Saxena as brand president, bringing over two decades of experience from LongHorn Steakhouse and Darden Restaurants, where she helped drive 20 consecutive quarters of positive comparable sales growth.

BJ's Restaurants has named Monika Saxena as brand president, effective June 3, 2026. The appointment brings one of the casual dining industry's most accomplished brand-building executives into the BJ's fold at a moment the company describes as an exciting period of growth and untapped potential. Saxena arrives with more than two decades of experience spanning marketing, culinary and beverage development, and consumer insights- a breadth of expertise that positions her to influence virtually every dimension of the guest-facing brand experience. For BJ's, a brand with a loyal following built around its signature deep-dish pizza, craft beer heritage, and the iconic Pizookie dessert, the hire signals a clear intention to sharpen its identity and accelerate what comes next.
Saxena's most recent role was Executive Vice President of Brand Marketing for LongHorn Steakhouse at Darden Restaurants, a position she held from 2018 to 2026. During that eight-year stretch, she played a central role in one of casual dining's more impressive sustained performances- LongHorn delivered 20 consecutive quarters of positive comparable restaurant sales growth under her watch, outperforming industry benchmarks in each of those periods. Her remit at LongHorn was expansive, covering marketing, culinary and beverage development, consumer insights, guest relations, and media and communications. The breadth of that accountability is significant- it means Saxena has not just managed individual marketing campaigns but has shaped the full strategic and creative output of a major restaurant brand over a sustained period.
Before taking on the EVP role at LongHorn, Saxena built her brand development expertise across a series of progressively senior positions within the Darden portfolio, including roles at both Bahama Breeze and LongHorn Steakhouse. That experience gave her exposure to distinct brand identities, different consumer audiences, and varying stages of brand maturity- an unusually well-rounded foundation for the kind of holistic brand leadership role she is now stepping into at BJ's. Her career arc reflects someone who has spent two decades deepening her understanding of what makes restaurant brands resonate with guests and how to translate that understanding into consistent, measurable commercial performance.
Lyle Tick, BJ's CEO and President, was effusive in welcoming Saxena to the organisation and specific about what she brings to the leadership team. "Monika's proven track record of delivering sustainable long-term results through clear brand positioning, a relentless focus on product quality and guest experience, and the development of high-performing teams makes her an ideal addition to our leadership team," he said. Tick also framed the appointment in the context of a broader strategic ambition- unlocking BJ's full potential and entering a new phase of growth. His confidence in Saxena is rooted not just in her résumé but in the alignment between her capabilities and the particular challenges and opportunities that BJ's is navigating right now.
What distinguishes Saxena's arrival at BJ's from a conventional executive appointment is the personal dimension she brought to her own statement. A self-described loyal guest of the brand for many years, she spoke with genuine familiarity about what makes BJ's distinctive in the casual dining landscape. "From the signature deep-dish pizza and craft beer pedigree to the world-famous Pizookie, BJ's has built a distinctive experience that guests genuinely love and celebrate," she said. That kind of first-hand appreciation for what a brand means to its customers is not something that can be manufactured for a press release- and for a company looking to deepen its guest connection under new brand leadership, having a president who already understands that connection from the inside out is a meaningful advantage.
Saxena will work closely alongside Tick and the broader BJ's leadership team as the brand pursues what both executives have described as significant opportunities ahead. Her mandate encompasses the full range of brand-building disciplines she has spent her career developing- from marketing strategy and product innovation to consumer insights and guest experience- all directed toward accelerating BJ's growth and driving long-term value for shareholders. For a brand that has cultivated a genuinely devoted following around a handful of iconic menu items and a distinctive dining atmosphere, the question has always been how to build on that foundation at scale. With Saxena now in the brand president seat, BJ's has added a leader whose entire career has been spent answering exactly that question.