Christopher Russo Email & Phone Number

Visionary. Entrepreneurial. Customer-Driven. Innovative. These are just a few words that describe Christopher's leadership skills. Leading and growing companies and startups, creating and implementing innovative brand strategies, and driving year-over-year revenue growth is the hallmark of Christopher’s 25-year career. Over the years, Christopher has developed a passion for identifying emerging market trends and opportunities and creating exceptional customer and client experiences through product and service innovation. Christopher brings extensive expertise across operations, P&L management, marketing, construction, culinary, and supply chain management to each role, having worked as a President, Founder, and Consultant. Regardless of the challenge, Christopher remains committed to fostering partnerships that deliver growth and create long-term value for the company and stakeholders.Christopher's career in the food and beverage industry began in 1995 when he founded Hurricane Grill & Wings®. Over his tenure, he grew the national chain to 35 units, ~150 employees, and a combined system sales of over $45M in gross revenue. Also, he led the chain to receive numerous national accolades, including the Festival Favorite and Best Creative Sauce at the National Buffalo Wing Festival, Future 50 Brands & Top 20 Fastest Growing Concepts from Restaurant Business, Top 40 Fast and Serious from Franchise Times, & 10 Great Places to Wing It from USA Today. 2017 was the final exit of Christopher’s brand departure with a sale to a Nasdaq listed company.Christopher owned and operated three of his personal units in the franchise system which he used to keep the brand on trend and to keep his operational skills relevant. (Christopher currently owns and operates one restaurant today for those same reasons.) In 2010, Christopher joined Abrika Restaurants as its President and Chief Concept Officer (CCO) till 2014. Well-Done Hospitality began in 2008 as a brand start up consulting business where he was the CCO and helped countless clients create or reimage their brands and locations up till 2017. During Christopher’s time, he also led several creative brands to earn multiple Addy and Webby Awards, and won Food Network's SOBE Food and Wine Fest Award for Best of the Munchies at Italio: Modern Italian Kitchen.Throughout his career, Christopher has developed a reputation for building and leading high-performing teams. He's a collaborative leader who values open communication and empowers his teams to take ownership and make decisions that drive success.