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Freebirds names new COO, moves HQ

Freebirds has moved its headquarters to Texas and named a new COO.

April 23, 2015

Freebirds World Burrito has completed the transition of its former national headquarters in Emeryville, Calif., to its new digs in Austin, Texas. The brand’s support operations are now housed under the same roof  in the Great Hills Corporate Center, said Charles B. Lewis, chairman of Freebirds World Burrito and Tavistock Restaurant Collection.

The Texas location is an ideal fit for the brand, which has more than 60 of its more than 100 Freebirds locations in Texas, Lewis said.

 A location change isn’t the only change for Freebirds as it recently named Bobby Shaw as COO, elevating him from his former position as SVP of Operations.

"Throughout his time at Freebirds, Bobby has demonstrated a collaborative 'better together' management style, which has both helped drive positive changes at Freebirds as well as take full advantage of the parent company's strength," Lewis said. "While the company officially started in Santa Barbara in 1987, Central Texas is largely thought of as the home of Freebirds since we opened in College Station in 1991. It feels natural to have everyone here in Texas supporting all our restaurants as we build the brand across the country."

Freebirds grew to 17 locations in the early '90s until 2010, the year it doubled its locations to 34. By 2012, Freebirds' numbers had doubled to 68. The chain now has more than 100 locations and 2,000 employees throughout seven states, including Texas, California, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma and Utah. 

Shaw said he's excited about the company's future and  is committed to the roadmap that his leadership team developed for the continued evolution of the brand. They will concentrate on three main objectives:

•  Better engagement with guests (known as Fanatics) to create an even better experience.
• Creating a career path for Freebirds staff (known as the Tribe) to build lifelong skills.
• And a greater focus on culinary innovation to bring guests the freshest food, made from scratch at each and every Freebirds location.

"Our success at Freebirds is built on the strength of our Tribe —our employees— and our passion for people and food," Shaw said.