Dog Haus Revamps Marketing Team: Former Jersey Mike’s Executives Join

The U.S.-based fast-casual restaurant chain Dog Haus is restructuring its marketing organization following a transformation in its franchise model. The company appointed James Field as Chief Marketing Officer and promoted long-time brand member CJ Ramirez to the newly created Chief Experience Officer position.

Clare Baños, Jeremy Fletcher, and Catalina Uribe also joined the marketing team. The new management structure delineates clearer responsibilities for brand strategy, consumer insights, creative development, product innovation, digital channels, and third-party delivery operations.

This change is not just a marketing team refresh. Dog Haus is simultaneously altering its franchise growth model, upper management, and regional development structure throughout 2026.

James Field Takes the Helm of Marketing

Dog Haus’s new Chief Marketing Officer, James Field, previously served as Chief Innovation Officer at Jersey Mike’s.

Field’s background includes a CMO position at L.A. Libations and management of foodservice marketing operations for Cholula Hot Sauce. At Dog Haus, he will lead the overall marketing organization.

This appointment indicates that the brand is not only focused on opening new restaurants in its growth strategy but also on scaling its marketing infrastructure.

As fast-casual chains experience rapid franchise growth, if the marketing team does not evolve at the same pace, significant gaps can arise in brand awareness, local campaigns, and store opening support in new regions.

Therefore, it becomes critical for the marketing organization to progress in parallel with franchise growth, especially in multi-regional structures.

CJ Ramirez’s Role Expands

CJ Ramirez, who has been with Dog Haus for nearly 15 years, has been promoted from Executive Vice President of Marketing to Chief Experience Officer.

In his new role, he will be responsible not only for traditional marketing activities but also for ensuring a consistent brand experience across different functions.

This role is also significant concerning the new area director system established by Dog Haus.

The company created a new franchise development model that divides the country into 15 regions at the beginning of 2026. Each region will be managed by an area director, and the system aims to facilitate franchise growth through more experienced multi-restaurant operators.

As this structure grows, the role of the central office is also changing. It may no longer be sufficient for marketing teams to produce only national campaigns; maintaining brand standards with regional operators and balancing local sales needs is essential.

New Team Shares Different Areas of Marketing

In Dog Haus’s new organization, Clare Baños will serve as Executive Vice President of Marketing.

Baños will manage marketing strategy, consumer insights, guest experience, and paid media investments. She has held marketing roles at companies such as Pernod Ricard, General Mills, and Cholula Hot Sauce.

Jeremy Fletcher has been appointed Vice President of Creative and Innovation. He will be responsible for brand design, content, creative development, and innovation. Fletcher previously worked with Field on Jersey Mike’s projects.

Catalina Uribe has begun her role as Vice President of Off-Premise and Logistics. She will manage growth in third-party delivery platforms and Dog Haus’s digital sales channels. Uribe also previously worked on the development and commercialization of restaurant platforms at Jersey Mike’s.

This distribution of roles indicates that restaurant marketing is no longer solely about advertising and social media management.

Digital Sales and Delivery Are Becoming More Integral to Marketing

Catalina Uribe’s focus on off-premise and logistics is particularly noteworthy.

In restaurant chains, third-party delivery, mobile ordering, loyalty programs, and first-party customer data now create a shared space between marketing and operations.

Jersey Mike’s reported in its 2026 IPO documents that digital channels accounted for more than 40% of system sales, and the MyMike’s loyalty program reached over 12.5 million active members in 2025. While these are Jersey Mike’s data and do not reflect Dog Haus’s performance, they provide important context for understanding why Dog Haus is interested in the digital and marketing experience from this system.

For smaller chains, the issue is not just about opening a digital ordering channel. To operate profitably, commission, delivery times, kitchen capacity, packaging, and promotional costs must also be managed together.

The Influence of Jersey Mike’s Grows in Management

Dog Haus’s connection to Jersey Mike’s did not begin solely with the new marketing team.

In May, Chris Rigassio, who has long been a Jersey Mike’s franchise operator, became Dog Haus’s President and Chief Development Officer, while Garen Khodaverdian became Chief Operating Officer.

The two executives also entered into a development agreement for 50 restaurants with Dog Haus and became part of the company’s partnership structure.

It is reported that Rigassio and Khodaverdian together operate over 100 restaurants across various concepts, including Jersey Mike’s and Wingstop.

This structure indicates a significant shift in Dog Haus’s growth strategy. The company is not only bringing professional managers into the central office but also including individuals with active franchise operating experience in the decision-making process.

The Goal is Growth, but Scale Alone is Not Success

Dog Haus currently has approximately 60 locations in the U.S. The brand recently opened its first international restaurant in Mérida, Mexico, and aims for at least 20 restaurants in the coming years with a local partner.

The company’s broader strategy aims to achieve a much larger national scale through the area director model.

However, a rapid increase in the number of restaurants in franchise systems does not necessarily equate to strong performance.

Training new franchise operators, supply infrastructure, field support, efficient use of marketing funds, and maintaining same-store sales determine the quality of growth.

If brand awareness grows faster than operational capacity, customer expectations may not be met. Conversely, a strong restaurant model may struggle to gain visibility in new markets without adequate marketing support.

The Impact of Marketing on Franchise Operators Must Be Measured

In franchise systems, one of the most important customers of centrally executed marketing is actually the franchise operator.

While national campaigns can create high visibility, if they do not generate traffic, average basket size, repeat visits, and profitability at the restaurant level, their sustainability for the franchise owner remains limited.

Therefore, the success of Dog Haus’s new marketing team should not be measured solely by brand awareness or social media reach.

Metrics such as digital sales share, customer acquisition cost, post-campaign repeat visits, third-party delivery profitability, and sales performance of franchise restaurants should also be included in the same evaluation.

Stafflink’s Perspective

In our view, the most notable choice in Dog Haus’s management structure is its integration of franchise operations with marketing experience within the same growth plan.

During growth periods in restaurant chains, marketing often focuses on acquiring new customers. However, in franchise systems, the main issue is converting the demand created into sustainable sales and profitability at the restaurant level.

The most valuable aspect that executives with a background from Jersey Mike’s can bring to Dog Haus is not just significant brand experience but also practical knowledge of how marketing, digital sales, and field operations interact within a franchise system.

However, there is no guarantee that a system that works for another brand will yield the same results at Dog Haus. Customer profiles, restaurant scale, product pricing, and franchise economics differ.

Therefore, the success of the new team will depend not on copying the Jersey Mike’s model but on establishing a marketing system that is suitable for Dog Haus’s own scale and also measures the results of franchise operators.