Dive Brief:
- The Wills Group — owner of Dash In Food Stores — has appointed Lenny Comma, former CEO of Jack in the Box, to its board of directors, according to a recent announcement.
- This isn’t Comma’s first foray into the c-store industry. He began his career with ExxonMobil, where he worked across the company’s retail fuels and c-store segments, according to the announcement.
- With over three decades of foodservice and retail fuels experience, Comma will be “instrumental” in the company’s efforts to expand Dash In’s foodservice offerings, Blackie Wills, president and COO of the Wills Group, said in the announcement.
Dive Insight:
By tapping Comma for its board, the Wills Group appears to be even more focused on foodservice this year, as c-stores increasingly emphasize foodservice to better compete with fast-food restaurants.
Lenny Comma was CEO at Jack in the Box from 2014-2019.
Permission granted by Wills Group
Dash In, which was founded in 1979, places foodservice at the forefront of its c-store operations. Its menu includes items across all dayparts, such as breakfast sandwiches, burgers, salads, cinnamon rolls and doughnuts.
“Comma’s vision will be a welcome addition to our Board,” Wills said in the announcement.
According to his bio from the ExCo Group — the leadership committee he’s a part of — while at ExxonMobile, Comma led a team that supported more than 300 franchised locations across Southern California, Nevada and Arizona.
Comma then spent more than 19 years with Jack In the Box, where he helped transform the company’s business model while also supporting its brand strategy. Comma was chief operating officer at Jack in the Box prior to being named CEO in 2014, a role which he held until 2020, according to his ExCo Group bio. He also serves as an independent director for Burger BossCo Holdings, the holding company that owns fast-food burger brands Checkers and Rally’s.
La Plata, Maryland-based Wills Group operates nearly 300 retail locations across the Mid-Atlantic region, including Dash In, Splash In ECO Car Wash, and SMO Motor Fuels. The family owned company was founded in 1926.
