Chester’s Chicken hired Bill Rice in January to oversee its supply chain and operations, according to a press release issued April 2.
Rice joined the chain following a period of retirement, according to the press release. Before retiring, Rice had served as SVP at Krispy Krunchy Foods, a chicken licensing brand, per his LinkedIn.
Upon his assumption of responsibility at Chester’s in January, Rice “has been working against several Q1/Q2 projects including a supply chain optimization study, adding new and profitable menu items, equipping the team with new sales tools, and bringing on additional resources to the field team,” the press release states.
Rice will be tasked with helping the company attain its unspecified “aggressive growth goals while continuing to support existing franchise partners.”
The 1,300-unit chicken chain largely grants franchises that operate within existing retail spaces, like c-stores, according to its Franchise Disclosure Document, though it does at times develop units in food courts or other spaces it describes as non-traditional.
Last year, Chester’s re-launched an updated version of its chicken sandwich, one of its core menu items, and launched several LTOs across its national system. As c-store operators look for more foodservice options, supply chain operations will be key for brands like Chester’s, which bridge the conceptual gap between in-house foodservice programs and QSRs.
