Former Inspire Brands Exec En Route to 530-Unit Chain

Stephanie Sentell, the former SVP of company operations at Inspire Brands, is headed to Shake Shack. There, effective July 1, she will be chief operations officer.

In the role, she will oversee all of the brand’s company-operated domestic units, including over 12,000 team members. Sentell will report to Shake Shack CEO Rob Lynch as well as work closely with the senior executive leadership team, notes the press release.

“I have known Stephanie for more than 10 years and she is one of the most dynamic and compassionate leaders that I have ever worked with,” says Lynch, who became CEO on May 20, succeeding Randy Garutti. “She brings a wealth of operational experience and has consistently improved margins and enhanced operational efficiencies across brands, channels, and formats, including drive-thru, with a data driven approach that will further improve and optimize the way we operate our Shacks.”

Sentell has 23 years of experience in the restaurant industry, including 11 years at Inspire Brands and Arby’s. There, she oversaw the operations of more than 1,100 company-owned Arby’s restaurants and led 22,000 restaurant team members across the U.S. Sentell also was a key player in developing the Inspire Innovation Center.

Earlier in her career, Sentell spent over 11 years at Dairy Queen as the director of marketing and a franchise owner.

Shake Shack has over 530 locations system-wide, including over 340 in 33 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, and 190 international locations across London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Mexico City, Istanbul, Dubai, Tokyo, Seoul and more.