Rick Pepper

About Rick Pepper

A results-driven Operations Executive with a proven record of transforming brands through the leadership, advisement, and execution of large-scale strategic initiatives that deliver measurable business value. Brings extensive, career-spanning experience across company-owned, franchise, and non-traditional QSR environments, with deep expertise in operations, program and project management, change leadership, restaurant design and development, marketing and merchandising, performance optimization, and innovation.Having begun my career as a restaurant team member, I bring a grounded, frontline perspective and a strong commitment to continuous improvement and innovation. I am passionate about simplifying and enhancing the employee experience, elevating guest satisfaction, and partnering cross-functionally to translate strategy into operational execution. I thrive in collaborative environments, building and leading diverse teams toward a shared vision—fostering both high performance and meaningful professional growth.I value the responsibility of leading transformational initiatives that advance business performance and position organizations for sustained success. Over the past decade, my contributions have included:•Driving operational efficiency, revenue growth, profitability, and customer loyalty through the design and execution of strategic programs•Leading high-performing operations and cross-functional project teams for industry-leading restaurant brands•Developing and implementing initiatives to increase unit-level performance, accelerate new unit growth, and enable market expansion•Designing scalable restaurant prototypes to support core markets, new market entry, and non-traditional formats •Spearheading the commercialization and integration of new equipment and technologies to improve throughput, efficiency, and employee engagement•Modernizing restaurant-level training and implementing an enterprise-wide learning management system to enhance capability and consistency•Translating consumer insights into actionable strategies that enhance operational excellenceCore Competencies:Operational Excellence | Strategic Planning | Program & Project Leadership | Customer-Centric Strategy | Change Leadership | Problem Solving | Continuous Improvement | Franchise Operations | Cross-Functional Collaboration | Talent Development

Experience

1. Senior Vice President, Operations Services

   El Pollo Loco, Inc.

   Apr 2026 — Present · Costa Mesa, CA, US

   Lead Operations Services, Operations Technology Innovation, Training, Restaurant Excellence, and Customer Experience—driving the strategy, integration, and execution of core operational capabilities that enable scalable performance across the system, ensuring seamless integration of initiatives and sustained operational excellence across company-owned and franchise restaurants.

Education

• University of Phoenix

  BS, Business

  1991 — 1999

• Stanford University Graduate School of Business

  Certificate, Executive Education / Emerging COO: Driving Innovation & Operational Excellence

• University of Phoenix

  MBA, Business

  2000 — 2002

Skills

• Negotiation
• Restaurant Management
• Food & Beverage
• Franchising
• Customer Service
• Marketing
• Sales
• Market Planning
• Retail
• Team Leadership
• Hiring
• Process Scheduler
• Hospitality
• Multi-Unit
• Account Management
• Loss Prevention
• Purchasing
• Food Service
• Performance Management
• Employee Training
• Business Planning
• Operations Management
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• People Development
• Strategic Planning
• Employee Relations
• Restaurants
• Competitive Analysis
• Product Development
• Budgets
• Food
• Time Management
• Team Building
• Management
• Leadership
• Inventory Management
• Inventory Control
• Coaching
• P&L
• Food Safety