• by Teresa Buyikian , Yesterday

There’s been a lot of movement at the marketing top of three large fast-casual chains.

Firehouse Subs has tapped Carolina Berti as CMO, U.S. & Canada. Berti joins the approximately 1,400-unit chain from Tim Hortons, where she most recently served as vice president, marketing & innovation, during her 10-year tenure at the company.

As CMO, Berti is tasked with overseeing brand marketing, menu innovation and guest engagement strategies for the  Jacksonville, Fl-based sub sandwich chain. Before Tim Horton’s, Berti spent more than eight years at DuPont, most recently as director of integrated marketing communications,  EMEA Agriculture.

Firehouse Subs reported systemwide sales increased by 6.3% during Q2 2025. The chain  is part of Restaurant Brands International Inc., which touts more than $45 billion in annual systemwide sales and approximately 32,000 restaurants in 120 countries and territories.

Qdoba has promoted Jon Burke to the role of CMO. He will “oversee brand storytelling, integrated marketing and media, guest loyalty and digital engagement, as well as culinary innovation,” per the brand. Burke will also lead the chain’s agency partners, including Leo, Infinite Roar Media and digital agency Bounteous.

Burke most recently served as Qdoba’s vice president, national marketing, since 2023. He joined the chain after several years with brands including Jollibee Foods, Applebee's Grill + Bar, McDonald's Corporation and Del Taco.

The 825-unit fast-casual Mexican chain has also promoted Chef Katy Velazquez to vice president, culinary innovation, reporting to Burke.

Qdoba currently operates more than 825 restaurants across the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico, and more than 600 new restaurants in its development pipeline. The privately held company’s owner, Butterfly Equity, recently secured a $527 million fund to support the brand's continued growth.

Pret A Manger has hired Matthew Bresnahan as CMO. In that role,  Bresnahan will oversee the chain’s global and local marketing functions, as well as product innovation, loyalty programs, customer insights, PR and delivery channels.

Bresnahan joins the 717-unit British chain after spending 12 years at Restaurant Brands International, where he held several senior international marketing roles including vice president of global digital marketing for Burger King, and vice president global digital marketing and restaurant experience at Tim Horton’s.

Pret A Manger, which was acquired by the JAB Holding Company in 2018, reported a £525 million pre-tax loss in its 2024-2025 financials, with £11.2 million  net earnings for Q2 2025.