Smalls Sliders has named Julie Hauser-Blanner as its chief operating officer, charged with overseeing the growing concept’s daily operations and overall performance and developing initiatives to drive efficiency and scalability.
Hauser-Blanner most recently served as chief franchise officer at European Wax Center, where she was responsible for growth, strategy and support functions across field operations, guest relations, communications, learning and development, and field training for over 1,000 units across 45 states. Prior, she was responsible for leading operations at Front Burner Restaurants, Bonefish Grill, and Outback Steakhouse in a variety of progressive operations roles.
"I am thrilled to welcome Julie to our growing executive leadership team at Smalls Sliders," CEO Maria Rivera said in a statement. "Her global expertise to drive sales growth, enhance market presence through operations execution, and implement innovative people strategies makes her the ideal choice to lead our operational efforts as we embark on our next phase of growth and innovation."
Smalls Sliders, which opened its first “can,” or modular unit, in 2019, recently reached over 200 units open or under development, 10 months after kicking off a franchising program. Smalls Sliders currently has locations open across Louisiana and Mississippi, with a pipeline of growth set across 16 states in the Southeast and Midwest. The company has also expanded its target growth markets to Utah, Colorado, Kentucky and more.
"The opportunity to work with Smalls Sliders was one that I simply could not pass up," Hauser-Blanner said in a statement. "It is truly a brand that cannot be ignored within the industry given its impressive growth strategy, strong engagement among its loyal 'Frequent Sliders' and a stacked leadership team. I admire the impact the brand has made across the space in record time, and I am ready to be a part of its next era of continued growth."
Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]