Sonic Corp. (NASDAQ: SONC), the nation's largest chain of drive-in
restaurants, today announced that Omar Janjua has joined the Company as
President of its restaurant operating subsidiary, Sonic Restaurants,
Inc. ("SRI"). Janjua was previously Executive Vice President and Chief
Operating Officer for Steak 'n Shake Company, where he reported to the
Chief Executive Officer and was responsible for the operations of 490
system restaurants with annual revenues of approximately $700 million.
While with Steak 'n Shake, Janjua successfully developed and integrated
programs to drive service execution and enhance personnel development,
and also worked with senior leadership to plan and implement a financial
turnaround plan. Prior to joining Steak 'n Shake, he worked for 18 years
with Pizza Hut, Inc. in various positions of increasing responsibility,
lastly as Vice President of company operations overseeing 817
restaurants with annual revenues in excess of $800 million. Janjua's
28-year restaurant career also includes experience at other national
quick-service chains.
Janjua holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from Minnesota
State University and is a graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology
with a major in Operations Management.
Eddie Saroch, who served as president of SRI since May 2008 and has been
with Sonic since 1995, has moved to the new position of Senior Vice
President of Franchise Operations (Developing Markets). In this new
role, Saroch will oversee an increased effort in the delivery of
integrated services to franchisees.
Additionally, the company announced that Claudio San Pedro, previously
Treasurer and Vice President of Investor Relations, has been named Vice
President of Investor Relations and Brand Strategies. Keith Jossell,
previously Vice President of Franchise Finance, has been named Vice
President of Market Strategies.
Commenting on the announcements, Clifford Hudson, Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer of Sonic Corp., said, "We are fortunate to have Omar
join our management team. The knowledge he has gained from a 28-year
career in QSR, across many operational and financial areas, makes him an
excellent choice to lead our partner drive-in operations. We look
forward to working closely with him and to the value that his experience
and commitment will bring to our company. We also are pleased to
recognize the hard work and dedication of the other management team
members who are assuming new roles, and we wish to congratulate them on
their achievements."
Sonic, America's Drive-In, originally started as a hamburger and root
beer stand in 1953 in Shawnee, Okla., called Top Hat Drive-In, and then
changed its name to Sonic in 1959. The first drive-in to adopt the Sonic
name is still serving customers in Stillwater, Okla. Sonic has more than
3,500 drive-ins coast to coast where more than a million customers eat
every day. For more information about Sonic Corp. and its subsidiaries,
visit Sonic at www.sonicdrivein.com.
SONC-G