Women rising in the restaurant industry Female executives rising in the restaurant industry empower others, change outdated norms By Eric Nomis
In the corporate environment, there’s a push currently to make the c-suite more inclusive. Advocates want to see more women in leadership along with equal and fairer pay. The restaurant industry itself has benefited from female leaders. Many women have risen to the highest ranks and have paved the way for a more diverse landscape. Yet, there’s much more work to be done, particularly in light of the #metoo movement and women banding together to call for such inclusion. Kat Cole and Carin Stutz are two female RESTAURANT C-SUITE | Restaurant news that’s fresh, informed, inspired (by you) 14
leaders (and there are many more) that quickly come to mind. After starting at Hooters, Kat Cole rose through the ranks, becoming vice president in 1995, and then moving to Focus Brands’ Cinnabon in 2010. She became Group president in 2015, and then Focus Brands promoted Cole to COO and president in 2017. An episode of CBS’ “Undercover Boss” brought her story into the spotlight, showing her raw passion, work ethic and no-nonsense leadership style.
