News

Pieology taps former Smashburger, Panera exec as president

May 10, 2017

Pieology today announced that it's hired the now former top man at Smashburger, Michael J. Nolan,  as its president, a news release said. The 25-year restaurant industry veteran was president and CEO at the burger chain for nearly two years and has a reputation for growing national and international brands. Prior to his tenure at Smashburger, Nolan held executive-level positions at Corner Bakery Cafe, Bloomin Brands and Panera Bread Company, where he spearheaded a 12-year expansion phase that grew the concept from 250 to more than 1,500 locations.

"Michael has an unparalleled understanding of the fast casual industry and I enthusiastically welcome him to the Pieology team," said Pieology Founder and CEO Carl Chang in a news release. "Our priority at Pieology has always been to deliver a quality, creative dining experience and I’m confident that Michael’s expertise will continue to propel Pieology forward."

Chang, will serve as chairman of the Board, but is taking a step back from the day-to-day operations to allow Nolan the freedom to steward the brand into its next phase of growth, the company told FastCasual in an email. 

Pieology's most recent news announcement before today's leadership change involved the brand's new thick crust, which is slated for national distribution this summer.