Velvet Taco Hires Chris Schultz as CEO

Velvet Taco today announced Chris Schultz has joined the brand as CEO. Schultz will lead the fast-casual through its next phase of growth in the U.S. and internationally, with a focus on operations, innovation and elevating the overall guest experience, a release details.

Schultz has more than 30 years of restaurant leadership experience. Most recently, he served as CEO of Voodoo Doughnut, where he guided the brand into new markets, and before that, spent nine years as senior vice president of operations at MOD Pizza. Schultz helped grow MOD Pizza from a single location to more than 350 units across the country. Earlier in his career, he spent 13 years with Starbucks.

Dallas-based Velvet Taco operates more than 50 locations in eight states and recently opened its first international unit in London. The brand says it plans to continue expanding in key metropolitan areas while exploring nontraditional venues such as airports.