News

Pizza Studio names former Panera exec as COO

October 1, 2014

Pizza Studio announced that William "Hank" Simpson has been named as its chief operating officer. He will be tasked with increasing the number of Pizza Studio locations across the US.

Simpson formerly served as SVP and chief franchise officer of Panera.

He began at Panera in 2002 as director of Retail Operations and Joint Venture Partner. He later served as SVP, chief company & joint venture operations officer as well as chief development officer.

"Pizza Studio is a great concept with strong, experienced leadership that has already proven in a very short period of time its significant potential for growth," Simpson said in a news release. "An opportunity such as this presents itself very rarely, and I am excited to be a part of this team."

Pizza Studio is expected to expand to nearly 100 locations across the country by the end of 2015, the release said. The brand currently has 15 locations across the country and expects to double its footprint by the end of this year.