Retail fried chicken QSR Krispy Krunchy Chicken has named Jim Zielke as its chief financial officer, the company announced on Wednesday. He will report to CEO Jim Norberg and replaces former CFO Brian Judge, who has left the company, according to a spokesperson.
Zielke comes to Krispy Krunchy from Viva Chicken Holdings, a Peruvian-inspired rotisserie chicken chain where he spent more than seven years as CFO, according to his LinkedIn bio. In that role, he oversaw the finance, human resources, legal and IT departments.
“Jim has a wealth of knowledge and experience from the chicken and restaurant sectors, along with the financial expertise that will continue the strong fiscal trajectory for our organization,” said Norberg. “He will be instrumental in enhancing restaurant profitability, increasing revenue, and expanding our margins as we enter our next era of growth.”
Zielke also served as CFO for Good Times Restaurants for more than two years and Fox and Hound Restaurant Group for 10 years. He was also at one point president of Fox and Hound as well as casual dining chain Champps, according to LinkedIn.
This announcement comes a few months after Krispy Krunchy named Matt Testa, a Pilot Company alum, as its COO.
Krispy Krunchy is primarily known for serving the convenience store and travel center markets, but has been expanding beyond those industries in the past year, including opening locations at Walmart stores. The company also said in April 2024 that it would hire more corporate employees as it targets faster growth.
“I look forward to exploring effective processes that we can leverage to further expand the brand and maintain its vitality for years to come,” said Zielke.
