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Pizza Inn, Pie Five parent names former Domino's, Pei Wei exec as CEO

The man behind Domino's "pizza theatre" steps into the top spot at Rave Restaurant Group.

Newly installed Rave Restaurant Group Brandon Solano. (Photo provided)

October 21, 2019

Pie Five and Pizza Inn parent, Rave Restaurant Group, Inc. said its board has named former Pei Wei Asian Kitchen Chief Marketing and Digital Officer Brandon L. Solano as the company's new CEO. The former CEO Scott Crane left the company in July, a news release said. 

At Pei Wei, Solano recorded the best positive traffic the brand had seen in seven years behind the launch of "Wei Better Orange Chicken," cauliflower rice and a clean-label initiative dubbed, "The Wei Forward." In the process, he poked fun at competitor, Panda Express, garnering substantial positive publicity and social media chatter.

Previously, Solano was vice president of innovation and then vice president of development at Domino's, where he designed the "Pizza Theatre" concept and created the "Fortress Seattle" model market strategy. The news release said he also drove positive traffic for the first time in 10 years as Wendy's CMO, previously. 

"Brandon has been a difference maker for multiple brands in the restaurant space," Rave Restaurant Group Chairman Mark Schwarz, said in the release. "He has a history of driving profitable traffic and leading brands to cultural relevance. He has communicated provocatively, even telling consumers Domino's pizza wasn't great and could be better. 

"He once famously dug through the trash at Panda Express to expose their ingredient statements on Twitter. Importantly, he has brought his franchisees along with him to shared success. Brandon has depth and breadth of experience, including leading both pizza and fast-casual brands across many functions from operations and technology to marketing and development. We are thrilled to have Brandon lead our company."

Solano holds an MBA from the University of Notre Dame and lives on a sustainable urban farm in Southlake, Texas with his partner, Kristin.

"I'm stoked to lead both Pizza Inn and Pie Five for Rave," said Solano. "These brands have tremendous upside and I intend to partner with our employees and franchisees to realize every ounce of it. We will be disruptive in the space and make consumers rethink their pizza choices while supporting our communities, franchisees and employees. In short, I'm here to win!"