QDOBA Announces Appointment of Cathy Tang as Chief Legal Officer

Industry veteran joins QDOBA's leadership team focused on doubling the size of the 840-restaurant brand.

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- QDOBA, America's rapidly growing #2 restaurant brand in the Mexican fast-casual category, today announced that Cathy Tang has joined the brand as Chief Legal Officer (CLO).

Tang brings more than 25 years of restaurant and public company experience and will lead all aspects of legal, compliance, risk management and corporate governance, and play a key role in franchise strategy and transactions.

"We are very fortunate to have an executive of Cathy's caliber join our talented leadership team. I had the privilege of experiencing her remarkable partnership and capability first-hand when she reported to me as Chief Legal Officer while I was President of KFC Corporation, and I'm thrilled to be reunited," said John Cywinski, CEO, QDOBA. "Her blend of strategic insights, team collaboration, growth mindset and deep restaurant franchise experience will help guide us as we unlock the full potential of the QDOBA brand."

"I'm excited to join QDOBA at this time of incredible growth," said Cathy Tang, Chief Legal Officer, QDOBA. "It's a privilege to be working alongside CEO John Cywinski again and to partner with the QDOBA team and our franchisees to build on the strong foundation that makes this brand so special."

TANG'S BACKGROUND
Tang most recently served as Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary at Pursuit Attractions and Hospitality, Inc. (2025), following her tenure as Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary at Krispy Kreme, Inc. (2020–2024). At Krispy Kreme, Tang was responsible for all aspects of legal, SEC/regulatory compliance, corporate responsibility and board governance for the $2 billion global brand and led the legal, governance and overall oversight of its 2021 IPO.

Prior to Krispy Kreme, Tang spent over 20 years at Yum! Brands, Inc., including serving as Global Branding Counsel (2017-2020), Chief New Business Officer, KFC Global (2015-2017) and Chief Legal Officer, KFC Corporation (2009-2015).

Tang earned her law degree from the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville and her B.A. in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin.

ANNOUNCEMENT DETAILS
Q: What are Cathy Tang's job responsibilities at QDOBA? Tang will lead QDOBA's legal, compliance, risk management and corporate governance functions, and will play a key role in driving franchising, development and transactional initiatives.

Q: How does Cathy Tang's appointment support franchise partners? Tang's strong leadership and deep experience collaborating with franchisees will help QDOBA scale responsibly without slowing momentum by supporting franchising, strengthening consistency around agreements and brand standards, and helping the brand stay ahead of an evolving legal and regulatory environment.

Q: How does this connect to QDOBA's long-term growth plans? The brand's accelerated growth strategy to double its U.S. footprint by 2032 includes investing in leadership that helps expansion stay durable over time. QDOBA has more than 650 development commitments and targets more than 100 openings per year by 2027.

Q: Where is QDOBA expanding in the U.S.? QDOBA continues to see meaningful opportunity across the U.S. and is focusing on high-demand markets with strong interest from experienced multi-unit operators.

For more information and to find the location nearest to you, please visit QDOBA.com.

About QDOBA Mexican Eats
QDOBA is a fast-casual Mexican restaurant with 840 locations in 45 states across the U.S., as well as in Canada, Puerto Rico, Japan and South Korea. Committed to bringing flavor to people's lives, QDOBA prepares fresh ingredients by hand in-house throughout the day and flame-grills its chicken and steak to create a variety of bold, flavorful menu options. Guests can experience QDOBA's delicious offerings by customizing their own burritos, bowls, tacos, quesadillas, nachos and salads to suit their personal tastes and cravings. Premium toppings can always be added to entrées at no extra charge, including signature 3-cheese queso and hand-crafted guacamole. 

For seven consecutive years, QDOBA has ranked among the top fast-casual restaurants in the USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards – including six years at #1. QDOBA was also recently named one of Yelp's Most Loved Airport Brands, a distinction based on extensive analysis of ratings and reviews from travelers.

Discover more at QDOBA.com or on the QDOBA app, which is available for download on the iTunes App Store or Google Play. Fans can also connect with QDOBA on Instagram, Facebook, X and TikTok.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Allyson Petras, allyson.petras@mslgroup.com
MSL

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SOURCE QDOBA Restaurant Corporation