A trio of companies in the restaurant sector added IT chiefs in recent weeks to strengthen their digital capabilities and respond to shifting customer patterns.
Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers on Tuesday announced it brought on its first-ever CIO, tapping Todd Paladini to lead the company's enterprise tech strategy and improve the guest and franchisee experience.
Paladini joined the company from Cafe Rio Mexican Grill, where he spent nearly six years as the Utah-based chain's chief technology officer. The executive brings more than two decades of experience managing IT strategy, with a focus on modernization.
In a Tuesday statement, President and CEO Chris Dull highlighted the role of technology in empowering franchisee experiences. Paladini's track record leading technology for high-growth organizations "makes him the right leader to build this new function and help us scale with intention,” Dull said.
CEC Entertainment, the parent company behind Chuck E. Cheese and Peter Piper Pizza, also updated its tech leadership structure this month. The company said Monday it promoted CISO and VP of IT Infrastructure Nathan Hunstable to VP of IT and CIO, effective Feb. 2.
The restaurant company is currently undergoing a broader leadership transition. CFO Scott Drake will take over for David McKillips as CEO and president effective Feb. 13, the company said last week.
“Nathan has done an excellent job elevating our cybersecurity efforts and contributing greatly to other innovation and technology projects,” said Drake in an announcement. “We’re excited for the next chapter of innovation and technology leadership under Nathan’s direction.”
Starbucks last month appointed a new EVP and CTO to replace outgoing chief Deb Hall Lefevre, who departed the firm in September 2025. Anand Varadarajan joined the coffee giant effective Jan. 19, after nearly two decades leading technology efforts in Amazon's grocery division.
CEO Brian Niccol praised Varadarajan's role in building customer-centric technology at Amazon, and tasked him with leading Starbucks' technology organization, reporting directly to him.
Sector focus on technology
The leadership changes at several leading restaurants reflect the sector's ongoing effort to sharpen their use of technology amid shifting customer patterns. Economic concerns tightened consumer wallets last year, and restaurants are aiming to attract spending from a more discerning clientele in 2026.
In response to economic pressure, nearly one-third of restaurants plan to invest further in technology by introducing new tools into their operations, according to a report from payment tech provider TouchBistro.
Almost three-quarters of operators said they plan to spend more on technology in the next six months, according to the survey of 600 restaurant proprietors. Marketing software, reservation software and staff scheduling software were among the most commonly cited tools attracting spend this year.
"Technology is no longer optional, but operators have learned that more isn’t always better," the company said in the report. "The focus has shifted from accumulating features to finding solutions that actually solve problems without creating new ones."
Automation and AI are also top of mind for restaurant operators. More than 4 in 5 operators say they are using AI in some capacity, often to optimize menus and handle reservation processes.
