IHOP Stacks Its Executive Team With Two New Hires

IHOP has stacked its executive leadership team with the addition of two new hires.

The brand today named Jacob Barden vice president of development and Michael Kaufman vice president of strategy and business analytics. The pair will report to IHOP President Jay Johns.

In his new role, Barden will oversee the IHOP development team and lead the execution of developmental strategies as the brand continues to expand its footprint into new markets. Barden comes to IHOP with more than 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry. Most recently, he worked for Restaurant Brands Int’l. and was responsible for franchise and revenue growth for Burger King.

“I am excited to oversee the IHOP development team and lead the execution of comprehensive developmental strategies, growth pipeline and support our robust franchisee network as IHOP continues to expand its footprint in new markets through our four development methods, including traditional and nontraditional footprints and the upcoming launch of flip’d by IHOP and our new small prototype,” says Barden in a press release.

As for Kaufman, he joins IHOP after nine years at L.E.K. Consulting where he most recently served as principal. He was responsible for leading strategy engagements, developing long-term growth strategies and examining customer trends for companies in the food and beverage and services industry.

“I am thrilled to join IHOP and excited about the growth opportunities in front of us, from working with Jacob to accelerate and optimize new development to fulfilling the IHOP brand promise and driving comp sales growth at our existing locations. The use of analytics to generate insights and formulate strategies will be paramount as we work together as a team to drive growth of this iconic brand,” says Kaufman in a press release.

The new hires complete the brand’s new executive leadership team as it “continues to embark on a company-wide transformation.”

In addition to its new flip’d concept, IHOP said it continues to grow through traditional and nontraditional locations. Last month, the brand announced plans to open five nontraditional locations over the next five years in Ontario. The first will be at a truck stop in Belleville.