Christopher Karas Email & Phone Number

Charlotte, Nc And Phoenix, Az

Regional Vice President, Mid Atlantic Division, Charlotte, NC (5/2015-11/2016)Regional Operations Director, Phoenix, AZ (10/2012-5/2015)Transferred from Phoenix to Charlotte in December of 2015; promoted May of 2015. Managed $135M and $21M P&L (volume) in Charlotte/Phoenix, respectively; oversaw 47 restaurants as VP (OH, KY, NC, VA) and 7 as Director (Phoenix metro). Led team of 2,800 employees as VP, and 420 as Operations Director. Spearheaded strategic enhancements in cooperation with SVP and other key executives. Actively participated in interviewing/selecting Regional Operations Directors. Revitalized under-performing region, improving regional ranking from 47th to 3rd (out of 53) during 12-month period. Trained, mentored and developed employees; provided hands-on and motivational leadership resulting in numerous employees earned promotions to GM's. Achieved several quarterly bonus celebration awards for exceptional leadership performance.

Charlotte, Nc

Recruited by BlackFinn's Owner to shift the revenue mix from predominantly bar-driven to more food-driven. Managed $35 million P&L and led a team of nearly 900 employees and 55 managers. Oversaw 14 restaurants located in NC, RI, VA, D.C., MI, OH, IL, TX, and FL.Overhauled the New Store Opening (“NSO”) process, reducing from 6 months to 3 months the time it took to open a store to becoming a consistently profitable store. Created a methodology for mentoring high-potential managers, which was subsequently rolled out corporate-wide to lower manager turnover. Consistently exceeded target results in five categories: Sales, Labor, Cost-of-Goods, Profit and Guest Satisfaction. Primary contributor to the brand’s rapid growth and refinement as it grew from 3 to 11 stores. Food sales increased by 407%, representing 21% of total sales in 2008 to 34% in 2011. Operating profit increased 218% to over $8 million in four years. Developed a staff training program and set up a new employee appraisal rating system. Increased Guest Satisfaction scores from 74% to 83%.

Charlotte, Nc

Regional Director (2004–2007)Training GM (2002–2004)Opening GM, 2000–2004Hired to open the first M&S store in the Southeast. Established operational best practices and raised the bar for quality. Instrumental in setting national best practices as the concept grew from 25 to over 60 stores.Managed $35 million in revenue. Led a team of nearly 1,000 employees including 70 managers. Oversaw 10 restaurants; Charlotte, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Troy (MI), and Indianapolis. Recruited, hired and trained management teams for NSOs. Served as Brand Ambassador, reinforcing concepts and distinguishing M&S from the competition. Consistently ranked in the top 10% in guest satisfaction, as measured by a secret shopper service. Consistently exceeded financial and operational performance targets. Opened 10 different restaurant locations. Performed all planning, including vendor relations, contract negotiations, operational set-up, management recruitment, staff hiring, training, etc.

Atlanta, Ga

Hired to manage the highest volume Mick’s location in downtown Atlanta. Managed multiple locations. Delivered 4% annual growth. Led a team of 75 employees including five direct managers. Helped protect the brand identity by managing operations to consistently deliver food, service and guest experience. Successfully turned-around store in Atlanta that ranked highest in volume, but lowest in morale, profit, reputation and employee turnover. In 13 months this store became #1 in the company in all categories.

Boston, Ma And Marco Island, Fl

Promoted 4 times throughout highly successful 8-year tenure.