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.
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Rich Screnci leads a turnaround for Mrs. Fields and TCBY under Pearl Street Equity, focusing on fieldwork, digital upgrades, and franchise growth.
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GoTo Foods has named Ama Romaine as Executive Vice President and General Counsel, adding nearly 20 years of legal, franchise, and operational leadership experience to support the company's growth strategy.

GoTo Foods has expanded its executive leadership team with the appointment of Ama Romaine as Executive Vice President and General Counsel. The move reflects the company's continued focus on strengthening its corporate structure as it supports growth across its portfolio of restaurant brands. Based in Atlanta, GoTo Foods oversees several well-known foodservice concepts and continues to invest in leadership capabilities that can help drive long-term business performance and franchisee success.
Ama Romaine brings nearly two decades of legal, operational, and executive leadership experience to her new role. Throughout her career, she has worked across hospitality, real estate, compliance, governance, and franchise operations, developing expertise in supporting large-scale organizations and multi-unit business models. Her appointment comes as GoTo Foods continues to evolve its enterprise strategy, focusing on sustainable growth, operational excellence, and stronger support systems for franchise partners. Company leadership believes her background will play an important role in helping the organization navigate future opportunities while maintaining strong governance standards.
Before joining GoTo Foods, Romaine served as Senior Managing Director and Head of Government Relations and Public Policy at Pretium Partners. In that position, she worked on regulatory and policy matters while supporting broader business objectives. She previously held the role of Executive Vice President and General Counsel at Progress Residential, where she helped establish the company's compliance and enterprise risk management functions. Her efforts contributed to building stronger internal controls and improving operational decision-making. Romaine's professional experience also includes leadership positions at several recognized organizations, including Blackstone, Hilton Worldwide, Choice Hotels International, G6 Hospitality, and Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. This diverse background provides her with a unique perspective on managing legal, operational, and business challenges within complex organizations.
Franchise systems require strong legal oversight, clear governance frameworks, and effective collaboration across multiple business units. Romaine's experience working with franchise and multi-location operations makes her particularly well-suited for GoTo Foods' business model. As the company continues to expand, maintaining consistency across brands and supporting franchisees becomes increasingly important. Legal leadership plays a vital role in ensuring agreements, compliance programs, and operational processes remain aligned with long-term business goals. Her expertise is expected to help strengthen these areas while supporting future expansion initiatives.
In her new position, Romaine will oversee the company's legal department and provide strategic guidance across the organization. Her responsibilities will include managing attorneys, paralegals, contract professionals, and franchise administration teams. Beyond traditional legal functions, she will work closely with leadership teams across multiple departments to support business decisions, manage risk, and improve operational alignment. The role places her at the center of key initiatives involving franchise development, compliance, governance, and enterprise strategy.
GoTo Foods continues to invest in the systems, leadership, and infrastructure necessary to support its expanding business. The appointment of a seasoned executive such as Romaine highlights the company's commitment to strengthening the foundation behind its growth plans. As restaurant brands become larger and more complex, organizations increasingly rely on experienced leaders who can balance business objectives with legal and operational requirements. By enhancing its executive leadership team, GoTo Foods aims to create stronger support structures for franchisees while positioning the company for continued success in the years ahead.
The addition of Ama Romaine marks another step in GoTo Foods' efforts to strengthen its corporate leadership and support future expansion. Her experience across franchising, hospitality, governance, and risk management brings valuable expertise to an organization focused on long-term growth. As the company continues executing its commercial strategy, leadership believes strong legal and operational oversight will remain essential to driving performance, supporting franchise partners, and navigating an increasingly competitive restaurant landscape.