Staffing

Zunzi's hires VP of Operations

provided by Zunzi's

September 6, 2023

Zunzi's, a Savannah-based fast casual concept known for sandwiches, has hired Kevin Nelson as vice president of operations. Nelson, who has worked for Five Guys, Krispy Kreme and Arby's, will help Zunzi's and its beach-themed bar concept, Zunzibar, expand into select markets throughout the Southeast.

"Kevin and I were both in the Five Guys system when I was a franchisee," Zunzi's + Zunzibar owner Chris Smith said in a company press release. "I always knew he'd be the right guy at the right time to oversee operations when we wanted to ascend to the next level. I'm really excited to have a very disciplined restaurant operator at the helm of operations as we prepare for exponential growth."

Nelson, a native of Kenosha, Wisconsin., most recently served as vice president of operations for Cambridge Franchise Holdings, which operated over 200 Burger King and Popeyes restaurants. Before that, he spent more than 12 years with Monument Restaurants, opening 95 Five Guys restaurants across seven states and 10 Krispy Kreme shops in the Washington, D.C. area.

"What I love most about Zunzi's + Zunzibar is that we have assembled a dynamic team that has fun working together and is eager to take on new challenges in a very entrepreneurial environment," Nelson said in the release. "Both concepts are fun, festive, energetic environments — they really have that passion for developing future leaders and giving them the opportunity to grow and building a great company together. And with the food, the unique, award-winning sandwiches, that's something entirely different from what you see anywhere else."

Zunzi's was founded in 2005.