Hamburger Hamlet CEO Takes Job at Todo Wraps
Shawn Holder, who resigned Monday as head of the troubled Hamburger Hamlet chain, has been named president and chief operating officer of Todo Wraps, a Seattle-based restaurant chain expanding into Southern California.
Todo Wraps, which offers diverse tortilla-wrapped foods such as Thai and Creole, has 16 restaurants in Seattle and plans to open 28 Southland locations by late 1997. It opened its first Southland restaurant in Studio City last month.
The company was founded in 1993 by Dave deVarona, who will remain chief executive. He will relinquish the post of president to Holder. The chief operating officer job is a new position.
Holder said he joined Todo because he believes the wrapped food idea will take off rapidly.
“It’s fun to eat and it’s good for you--and that’s a winning combination,” he said. “The most important part of a great company is having a great idea, and Dave [deVarona] has it with Todo Wraps.”
The privately held company, which includes Starbucks Coffee founder Howard Schultz among its investors, posted sales of $3.3 million for 1995. It predicts sales will double this year.
Holder resigned as president and chief executive of Sherman Oaks-based Hamburger Hamlet after two years on the job. He remains on the board of directors and is now a consultant to the company.
Hamburger Hamlet has been operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection since December 1995.
A tentative agreement under which Hamburger Hamlet would have been acquired by Grill Concepts Inc., the Brentwood-based operator of the Daily Grill chain, collapsed.
