Name: Denise Lauer
New title: Chief marketing officer, Portillo’s
Previous title: Chief marketing officer, Marco’s Pizza
Lauer, who has over two decades of marketing and communications experience, will start her role at Portillo’s on Sept. 22, according to a Monday press release. Her career spans foodservice and the consumer product goods industries, and includes marketing positions at Informed Group, Morton Salt, PepsiCo, FedEx and Eaton Corporation, according to her LinkedIn profile. She fills the C-suite vacancy left by Nick Scarpino, who departed the chain late last year to become CEO of Giordano’s.
Most recently, Lauer spent over two years at Marco’s Pizza, where she oversaw a team that dealt with brand, media, digital, field marketing, consumer experience and product and channel innovation. She also created and instigated a comprehensive growth strategy that focused on branding, digital marketing, loyalty and local restaurant marketing, per the press release.
Lauer helped establish a menu innovation pipeline, including various limited-time offers and permanent menu additions. She also developed the “Marco’s More Menu” value platform that helped boost checks and frequency and spearheaded a modernization of the chain’s online ordering platform.
“Denise’s proven track record of revitalizing customer experiences, growing sales and transactions, and building high-performing marketing teams will be instrumental as we continue to expand Portillo's reach and deepen our connection with guests across the country,” Michael Osanloo, Portillo’s president and CEO, said in a statement.
Her appointment is part of Portillo’s strategy to ensure that it has the right executives in place to help grow sales and transactions, the press release said, as the chain has struggled with traffic declines in recent quarters. Portillo’s hired Tony Darden as its chief operating officer late last year and appointed Keith Correia as its first chief information officer May 2024. The chain also added Gene Lee, former Darden CEO, and Jack Hartung, former Chipotle CFO, to its board of directors within the past year.
