WOWorks Brings in Franchise Industry Veteran as Chief Growth Officer While Promoting Operations Leader to COO

Leadership Moves Built Around a Clear Growth Agenda

WOWorks, the multi-brand restaurant holding company behind Saladworks, Frutta Bowls, Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, The Simple Greek, Barberitos, and Zoup! Eatery, has made two leadership appointments aimed at accelerating its national franchise expansion. James Walker has been hired as Chief Growth Officer, and Nolan Woods has been promoted from Senior Vice President of Operations to Chief Operations Officer. CEO Kelly Roddy framed the moves around a straightforward priority - franchise development and franchisee success. Walker brings the external expertise to attract and recruit the right franchise partners, while Woods brings the operational depth and firsthand franchisee perspective to ensure those partners are well supported once they're in the system.

Who James Walker Is and What He's Done

Walker arrives at WOWorks with 30 years of experience across hospitality and retail, including senior leadership roles at some of the most recognizable franchise brands in the industry. His career includes positions at Nathan's Famous, Baja Fresh, Cinnabon, and Subway, where he held a senior role overseeing a network that spans tens of thousands of locations globally. Most recently, Walker spent nearly two years at Lunchbox the restaurant technology company first as a board member and later stepping into the CEO role. That combination of franchise operations experience and technology company leadership gives him a perspective that's increasingly relevant in an industry where digital infrastructure and franchise growth are closely connected. In his new role at WOWorks, Walker will focus on strategic market expansion and franchisee recruitment across all six brands identifying growth markets, building the pipeline of qualified operators, and closing the deals that translate franchise interest into signed agreements and opened restaurants.

Nolan Woods - Three Years In, Now Leading Operations Across Six Brands

Woods joined WOWorks in April 2023 and has spent three years building his understanding of the company from the inside, most recently serving as vice president and brand leader for Saladworks. His promotion to COO reflects both the results he's delivered and the trust the organization has placed in his judgment. What makes Woods' perspective particularly valuable in a franchise operations role is that he is himself an existing WOWorks franchisee. That dual position corporate operations leader and active franchise partner means he approaches decisions about training, support, and operational standards with a genuine understanding of what those decisions feel like on the franchise side of the relationship. With roughly three decades of operational experience that includes leading large-scale franchise growth and executing acquisitions, he brings the breadth needed to lead operations across a six-brand portfolio.

A Company That Finished 2025 With Real Momentum

The leadership changes come on the back of a strong year for WOWorks. The company opened 24 restaurants across its portfolio in 2025, including its first international Frutta Bowls location in Canada a meaningful milestone for a brand that had been primarily U.S.-focused. The company also signed 40 new franchise agreements during the year, with multi-unit deals secured in growth markets including Memphis, Tampa, Savannah, Athens, and Raleigh-Durham. With approximately 240 units currently open nationwide, WOWorks has built a meaningful base to grow from. The combination of new single-concept openings, international expansion, and a healthy pipeline of signed agreements heading into 2026 gives the incoming leadership team a solid foundation to build on rather than a blank slate to start from.

Co-Branding as a Growth Strategy

One of the more interesting elements of WOWorks' expansion approach is its co-branding strategy. The company has been actively bringing Frutta Bowls into select Saladworks and Barberitos locations, opening 10 such co-branded restaurants in 2025. The model allows existing franchisees to expand their revenue potential within the same physical footprint by offering a complementary brand alongside their primary concept. Co-branding is a growth lever that works particularly well for a holding company with multiple health-focused brands, since the target customer across Saladworks, Frutta Bowls, and Barberitos overlaps significantly. A guest who visits a Saladworks for lunch is a natural audience for a Frutta Bowls smoothie bowl. The strategy reduces the capital required to open a standalone new location while still growing system-wide sales and brand presence a smart use of the portfolio structure WOWorks has built.

What These Appointments Mean for Prospective Franchisees

For operators evaluating the better-for-you fast-casual segment as a franchise investment, the Walker and Woods appointments are worth paying attention to. A Chief Growth Officer with Walker's depth of franchise sales and market expansion experience signals that WOWorks intends to be selective and strategic about the partners it brings into the system not just chasing agreement volume. A COO who has operated as a franchisee himself signals that the company understands what franchise partners actually need to succeed, not just what looks good in a support manual. Together, the two hires reflect a company that is building the leadership infrastructure to grow seriously and sustainably across six brands, multiple formats, and an expanding geographic footprint.

WOWorks Brings in Franchise Industry Veteran as Chief Growth Officer While Promoting Operations Leader to COO

Leadership Moves Built Around a Clear Growth Agenda

Who James Walker Is and What He's Done

Nolan Woods - Three Years In, Now Leading Operations Across Six Brands

A Company That Finished 2025 With Real Momentum

Co-Branding as a Growth Strategy

What These Appointments Mean for Prospective Franchisees

Editors' Picks

Great Hill Fuels Woof Gang’s Growth Sprint

Olive Garden Revives Never-Ending Pasta Pass

Franchise Transfers Surge as Boomers Exit

Chipotle Expansion Marks Major Restaurant Shift

PizzaExpress to Bring Houston TX Hot Chicken to UK, Ireland

Wingstop Bets on Loyalty and Sports After Q1 Slump

Love & Honey Inks 20-Unit Florida Deal, AUV Hits $2M

Wonder Buys Mighty Quinn’s BBQ to Power Platform Scale

Slim Chickens’ Vaughan at QSR Evolution: Chicken Wars

Words That Sell: How Menu Copy Lifts Sales 27%

WOWorks Brings in Franchise Industry Veteran as Chief Growth Officer While Promoting Operations Leader to COO

Leadership Moves Built Around a Clear Growth Agenda

Who James Walker Is and What He's Done

Nolan Woods - Three Years In, Now Leading Operations Across Six Brands

A Company That Finished 2025 With Real Momentum

Co-Branding as a Growth Strategy

What These Appointments Mean for Prospective Franchisees