California-Based Coffee Chain Hires Exec Amid ‘Critical Growth Period’

Restaurant industry veteran Sanjiv Razdan is joining The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf as the president of its Americas and India markets.

According to the company, Razdan’s appointment comes during a “critical growth period,” with the markets he will oversee being foreseen as high potential markets. Additionally, Razdan will work to expand the brand’s omnichannel presence.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is operational in its native California and 12 other U.S. states as well as more than 25 countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, India, Japan, South Korea, China and Sri Lanka.

The coffee chain was acquired by Jollibee Foods Corp. in 2019, and Razdan said he looks forward to helping “advance [the corporation’s] goal of becoming one of the top five restaurant groups in the world.” In the near future, the chain expects to grow within Texas and New York.

Razdan’s prior industry experience, according to his LinkedIn profile, includes stints with Sweetgreen (as COO from 2018-2020), Dine Brands Global (as SVP/chief operations officer of Applebee’s from 2014-2017) and Yum Brands (across various roles, including brand president of Pizza Hut India, from 1997-2014).