Hot Head Burritos Names Peter Wiley CMO and CTO

A Promotion Nearly Two Decades in the Making

Hot Head Burritos has promoted Wiley, a company fixture for nearly two decades, to the combined role of corporate vice president, chief marketing and chief technology officer. The Dayton-born fast-casual brand is pushing toward nearly 90 restaurants, and the timing of this elevation is not incidental. Wiley joined the company in 2007 and most recently held the title of director of marketing and IT. His new post folds guest-facing brand strategy and behind-the-scenes systems oversight into a single seat at the table, one occupied by someone whose relationship with Hot Head predates most of its current footprint.

A Career Built From Every Angle of the Business

The rationale, according to the company, rests on the breadth of Wiley's résumé rather than any single credential. Kelly Gray, president and co-owner of Hot Head Burritos, framed it plainly: "Peter has been part of Hot Head since the beginning, and he understands this brand from every angle, as a marketer, operator and franchisee. He has a strong instinct for finding creative ways to keep the brand relevant while staying true to who we are. This is a natural next step for Peter and for Hot Head as we continue to grow." Her phrasing matters. This isn't a promotion built on a single quarter's performance. It's the culmination of years spent inside nearly every layer of the business.

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Twelve Years Old and Already Working the Line

That layering goes back further than his corporate tenure. Wiley started working in his family's Skyline Chili restaurants at age 12, moving through dishwashing, line cooking, bartending, and management before he ever touched a marketing plan. That ground-floor apprenticeship eventually gave way to brand development work spanning live events, television, radio, print, digital, mobile apps, and social media. He's also, notably, still in the trenches: Wiley owns and operates 10 Hot Head Burritos locations across Toledo, Youngstown, Akron, and Cleveland. Few marketing chiefs sign both sides of a P&L the way he does, one as corporate strategist, the other as the franchisee living with the consequences of that strategy every day.

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Industry Ties That Reach Beyond the Brand

His reach extends past the brand's own walls, too. Wiley sits on the Advisory Board for Qu, a restaurant technology company, where he brings an operator's perspective to conversations about efficiency, guest experience, and scalable growth. Stack his titles together, corporate executive, franchisee, industry advisor, and a pattern emerges: decisions filtered through practical restaurant realities rather than theory built in a boardroom. Handing marketing and technology to someone who owns restaurants inside the same system he's directing sends a signal to the rest of the franchise network. Operator input isn't just welcomed here; it's embedded at the top.

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A Journey That Started Long Before the Title

Wiley's own words echo that continuity. "Restaurants have been part of my life for as long as I can remember, and Hot Head has been a huge part of that journey," he said. "I've had the opportunity to see this brand grow from its early days and work alongside people who care deeply about making it better. I'm looking forward to building on that foundation, finding new ways to connect with guests and supporting our franchisees as we take Hot Head into its next chapter." It's less a mission statement than a continuation of a career already decades deep.

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The marketing instincts Gray referenced aren't hypothetical. Hot Head has rolled out limited-time menu campaigns like Queso Gone Wild and BBQ Pork Carnitas to keep its offerings fresh, standard fare for a growing fast-casual chain. More telling was its response to a viral moment involving Beaver's Mini Mart, a conversation that spread online across Ohio. Rather than simply riding the trend for engagement, Hot Head donated 100% of one day's sales from its Beavercreek restaurant to support the neighboring small business. It was a small gesture with an outsized message: community goodwill translated into actual dollars, not just a retweet.

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An Open Chapter Built on a Proven Foundation

What comes next under Wiley's expanded mandate isn't fully mapped out. No specific timelines, budgets, or performance metrics have been attached to future campaigns, and how his stated goals around guest connection and franchisee support will materialize remains an open question. What's already established is the logic behind the bet itself. Hot Head Burritos has handed its marketing and technology future to someone whose credibility was built one job at a time, starting at a dish pit and ending up, for now, in the corporate suite.

A Promotion Nearly Two Decades in the Making

A Career Built From Every Angle of the Business