NEW YORK – Fast-casual restaurant chain, Fuku, has announced the appointment of Claudia Lezcano as its new chief executive officer. The growing collection of restaurants specialize in chicken sandwiches from chef and restaurateur, David Chang.

Lezcano brings over 25 years of experience in marketing for major brands. Before joining Fuku, Lezcano most recently served as senior vice president of US marketing for Church’s Texas Chicken. The new CEO has also held top marketing positions at Celebrity Cruises, the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, and the MLB’s Miami Marlins. Lezcano also led strategy and marketing communications for eight years at Burger King Corp., a then $3 billion company. As CEO, Lezcano will be responsible for identifying additional opportunities that will drive accelerated growth and expansion of the Fuku footprint.

“I have known Claudia throughout my career and admire her tremendous work ethic, brilliant marketing vision, and positive attitude while facing the toughest of challenges,” said Matt Higgins, co-founder and CEO of RSE Ventures, whose portfolio includes Fuku, as well as David Chang’s renowned culinary brand Momofuku and Australian-inspired lifestyle and hospitality brand Bluestone Lane, among others. “Claudia is one of those dynamic executives who understands that the success of a restaurant brand starts with operational excellence and delivering on the promises you make to your customers and broader communities.”

“I am honored and excited to be leading Fuku’s next chapter of growth,” Lezcano said. “Chef David Chang created an unmatched chicken sandwich when he founded Momofuku/Fuku in 2015, and my vision is to continue building upon on his original concept by offering approachable, tasty food that changes the way people think about fast casual. I look forward to working with the team to continue growing our footprint throughout the country so even more guests can delight in Fuku’s one-of-a-kind chicken sandwich.”

“She has deep QSR expertise and truly knows the hospitality space, including how essential it is to have a consistent and meaningful brand voice across all consumer touch points,” Higgins added. “Her ideal blend of marketing and operations experience makes Claudia uniquely suited for this role, and I’m confident that Fuku is well-positioned for continued success under her leadership.”