Three simultaneous C-suite hires signal that Einstein Bros. Bagels is building the organizational muscle it needs to execute one of the more ambitious fast-casual expansion plans in the current market: 300 new bakeries over the next three years, toward a goal of more than 1,000 locations by 2030.
The Denver-based chain, which currently operates more than 700 U.S. locations and is part of the Panera Brands portfolio, named Patrick Waldron as Chief Development Officer, Shawna Fehrman-Lee as Chief People Officer, and Will Evans as Chief Financial Officer. CEO Jessica DePetro framed the moves as adding complementary depth to an already established leadership bench. "Their complementary expertise strengthens an already exceptional leadership team and gives us the depth to grow thoughtfully, invest in our teams and bring Einstein Bros. to more communities nationwide," DePetro said.
The New Leadership
Waldron arrives with a real-estate-heavy résumé that maps directly to Einstein Bros.' expansion ambitions. He spent time at Amazon and Whole Foods Market, most recently serving as director of business operations for Amazon's Worldwide Grocery division, where he helped launch more than 60 Amazon Fresh stores and guided new Whole Foods Market format rollouts. As CDO, he will lead site selection and development strategy as the brand pushes toward the 1,000-unit threshold.
Fehrman-Lee brings a people-operations background scaled far beyond typical fast-casual experience. She spent nearly a decade at HelloFresh, rising to global vice president of people and overseeing talent across 16 international markets and a workforce exceeding 20,000 employees. That scale of HR infrastructure will be relevant as Einstein Bros. rapidly adds units and the headcount that comes with them.
Evans rounds out the trio with a career that spans public accounting at EY, finance leadership at Zoës Kitchen through its IPO, private equity investment in restaurant concepts, and CFO tenures at La Colombe and Alvarado Restaurant Nation. His background in growth-stage and investor-backed foodservice companies positions him to build the financial controls and reporting infrastructure a 1,000-unit system will require.
Why Operators Should Watch
The triple hire reflects a broader pattern in fast-casual: chains eyeing large-scale unit growth are front-loading executive infrastructure well before the build-out begins, rather than promoting reactively. For restaurant industry observers tracking leadership and expansion trends, Einstein Bros.' approach — stacking development, HR, and finance leadership simultaneously — suggests the brand views all three functions as equally rate-limiting to its growth timeline.
The appointments come as America's largest retail bagel chain competes in a U.S. bagel market valued at approximately $5.8 billion. Parent company Panera Brands also operates Panera Bread and Caribou Coffee, giving Einstein Bros. shared infrastructure and scale advantages as it accelerates its fast-casual breakfast and beverage strategy across new markets.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
