Cafe Rio Appoints Adam Klaers COO, Promotes Julie Boyster to CBO

Cafe Rio Strengthens Leadership Team With Two Key Moves

Cafe Rio Fresh Modern Mexican has announced two significant leadership changes as the brand works to build on its recent momentum. Adam Klaers has been appointed Chief Operating Officer, while Julie Boyster has been promoted to Chief Brand Officer. Together, these moves are meant to strengthen the company’s executive bench as it enters what the brand is describing as its next chapter of growth. The announcement positions both executives as central figures in shaping how Cafe Rio operates day to day and how it connects with guests going forward, reflecting a broader effort to solidify leadership across both operational and brand facing functions.

Adam Klaers Brings Decades of Restaurant Operations Experience

Klaers joins Cafe Rio with more than 25 years of experience in restaurant leadership, having held senior roles at Roy Rogers, CAVA and Chipotle. Across those positions, he built a track record of guiding large, multi unit restaurant organizations through periods of growth, transformation and operational change. His background centers on developing strong restaurant leaders, improving consistency across operations and putting scalable systems in place that support long term performance. In comments included in the announcement, Klaers said he was excited to join a brand with a strong foundation and a passionate guest following, adding that his focus would be on building capable leaders, strengthening teams and creating the kind of operational consistency that allows the brand to deliver reliably for guests every day.

Klaers to Oversee Restaurant Operations and Field Leadership

As Chief Operating Officer, Klaers will take responsibility for Cafe Rio’s restaurant operations as a whole. His mandate includes developing and empowering field leaders, strengthening training programs and accountability measures, improving food quality and consistency, and elevating the overall guest experience. This operational focus suggests that Cafe Rio is prioritizing the fundamentals of restaurant execution as it looks to scale, betting that stronger leadership at the field level and more consistent systems will translate into a better experience for guests across its growing footprint of locations.

Julie Boyster’s Expanded Role Covers Marketing, Digital and Technology

Boyster’s promotion to Chief Brand Officer broadens her responsibilities to include Marketing, Digital and Information Technology. She brings a background in brand transformation, digital growth, customer engagement and product strategy. Since joining Cafe Rio, she has already played a central role in reintroducing the brand to guests and reigniting interest in it, contributing to initiatives such as the Utah Handheld Burrito, a partnership with the Utah Mammoth hockey team, and a rotation of new and returning menu items including Double Dip Fries and the Blueberry Mojito Mocktail. In her own statement, Boyster described Cafe Rio as a brand built on bold flavors, fresh food and passionate fans, saying she was eager to build on what guests already love while creating new reasons for them to engage with the brand.

Prior Experience at LifeVantage and Beyond

Before joining Cafe Rio, Boyster served as Chief Marketing Officer at LifeVantage, where she helped lead a multi year business and brand transformation that returned the company to double digit growth. Earlier in her career, she worked on the agency side, advising brands across hospitality, health and wellness, beauty, retail and technology. That combination of corporate marketing leadership and agency side consulting gives her a wide ranging perspective on brand building, one that Cafe Rio appears eager to apply internally. In her new role, she will focus on strengthening the brand’s culinary storytelling, deepening guest loyalty and engagement, and integrating digital and technology efforts to create a more connected guest experience across channels.

CEO Mike Burns Frames the Appointments as Strategic

Cafe Rio CEO Mike Burns praised both executives in the announcement, noting that Klaers and Boyster each bring a distinct combination of leadership, expertise and understanding of what it takes to build a differentiated brand. Burns said Klaers’ operational leadership would help strengthen the company’s foundation and empower restaurant teams, while Boyster’s brand expertise would help deepen the connection with guests and move Cafe Rio into its next chapter. He added that together, the two executives would play an important role in positioning the brand for long term growth. These appointments follow Burns’ own arrival as CEO earlier this year, and his comments suggest a deliberate strategy of building out a leadership team capable of executing on his vision for the brand.

Part of a Broader Push to Rebuild From the Inside Out

The appointments of Klaers and Boyster come on the heels of Burns joining Cafe Rio as Chief Executive Officer earlier this year, and together these additions reflect his stated focus on strengthening the brand from the inside out. That approach centers on returning to the food quality and guest experience that built Cafe Rio’s loyal following in the first place, while also bringing renewed energy to the brand and positioning it for sustainable growth over the long term. Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Salt Lake City, Cafe Rio has grown to nearly 150 restaurants across 11 states and has built its reputation on made from scratch recipes, fresh ingredients and bold Mexican flavors. The brand has been partnered with private equity firm Freeman Spogli since 2017, and these leadership changes suggest a renewed push to drive growth under that ownership structure as Cafe Rio looks to expand its footprint and strengthen its market position in the years ahead.