WOWorks, the St. Petersburg, Fla.-based parent of six health-focused restaurant chains, named industry veteran James Walker as Chief Growth Officer and promoted Nolan Woods to Chief Operations Officer, the company announced Wednesday — the clearest signal yet that the multi-brand operator is shifting into a more aggressive franchising posture.
Walker steps into the newly created CGO role with a remit spanning franchise development and franchisee recruitment across the entire WOWorks portfolio, which includes Saladworks, Frutta Bowls, Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, The Simple Greek, Barberitos and Zoup! Eatery. Woods, elevated from within, takes on the COO title with oversight of day-to-day operations and franchisee support for all six brands. Neither the company nor the release disclosed financial terms of either appointment.
The dual move reflects a structural bet that healthy fast-casual dining can sustain unit-count growth even as broader restaurant traffic remains uneven. Multi-brand franchise platforms have increasingly turned to dedicated growth executives to compete for qualified franchisees in a market where available real estate and capital costs have tightened deal pipelines. WOWorks is positioning Walker's hire as a direct response to that competitive dynamic, tasking him with accelerating the pace of signed agreements and new-unit openings across its portfolio. For context on how franchise operators are restructuring development teams in the current environment, see our earlier coverage of fast-casual franchise strategy shifts.
Woods's elevation to COO underscores a parallel priority: retaining franchisees once signed. Operators across the healthy-dining segment have noted that franchisee attrition — driven by labor costs and supply-chain volatility — can erode unit economics faster than new openings can offset. By formalising Woods's operational authority at the group level, WOWorks is signalling that support infrastructure will scale alongside its development ambitions.
No updated unit-count targets, revenue guidance or system-wide sales figures were disclosed in connection with the appointments. WOWorks is privately held and does not report public financials. The company said further details on franchise development milestones would be communicated in subsequent announcements.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
