Dan Wheeler Email and Phone Number

Marketing, CX, and Innovation leader for private equity-owned and Dallas-based upscale Mexican restaurant group with $5.5MM AUV and 43 locations through the US. Spearheading the transformation of a 35-year legacy brand through improved guest experience, food and beverage innovation, and a modernized marketing approach.- Reorganized the marketing function around targeted digital media, including holistic CRM, journey mapping, SEO, reputation management, and data-driven owned and paid media optimization- Solidified concept positioning, sourced agency partners, and developed a unique and compelling communications platform based on the fundamental brand truth of "celebrating life every day"- Developed and introduced a series of high velocity, new food and beverage items to enhance the regular menu and seasonal LTO pipeline, which reinforcing our scratch Mexican culinary philosophy- All brand health metrics, including net promoter score, revisit intent, and most importantly, guest counts on the rise since implementing turnaround strategy- Led the company's successful navigation through the Covid pandemic by simplifying the menu and introducing technology to enable contact-free ordering and payments, off-premises aggregation, and digital guest communications

Head of Marketing for popular and rapidly expanding restaurant and retail products company, founded by celebrity brothers Mark Wahlberg, Donnie Wahlberg and their chef brother Paul. 50% YOY sales and unit growth, $3MM AUV and over 4,500 retail points of distribution.Responsible for all aspects of marketing, communications and guest experience, including advertising, media, menu and experience innovation, as well as retail go-to-market strategy. Highlights include:- Led the digital evolution of the brand and company to support optimized media, mobile ordering, loyalty, reputation management and improved in-store experience.- Built immersive and shareable experiences for guest engagement with the Wahlberg family using augmented reality, digital storytelling, and real-time social media feeds.- Organized and led cross-functional Covid-19 task force in late February 2020 to get ahead of the impending crisis and adapt swiftly. Early action helped Wahlburgers stay in front of most developments as we shifted to a primarily off-premises model, established the #WhateverYouNeed community outreach initiative, and prioritized the health and safety of our crew and guests upon re-opening.

Brand, Marketing and Innovation leader for leading franchisor of quick service restaurants, with more than 20,000 global points of distribution, two iconic brands and $11B+ in system-wide sales. • Chief strategist and accountability for the Dunkin’ Next Gen store of the future, which has driven the strongest traffic and guest satisfaction impact for the brand in over 10 years. Dunkin’ was named by QSR Magazine as “the most transformational brand of 2018” as a direct result of this initiative.• Collaborated with cross-functional peers, external agencies and franchisees to build Dunkin's 5-year US Blueprint for Growth. Subsequently led and/or supported the implementation of key strategic initiatives such as menu simplification, repositioning the brand as just Dunkin', overhauling the DD espresso platform, and retail channel launches like ready-to-drink iced coffee and cold brew pods.• Pioneered the development of several next level digital experiences, equipment and technologies, including drive thru and mobile pick-up optimization, autonomous robot delivery, voice and facial recognition, digital takeout lockers, self-order kiosks and AI-driven smart store automation.

Led the development, testing and launch of dozens of new product innovations and growth drivers, including cold brew, croissant donuts, oven-toasted breakfast sandwiches and a new espresso platform that resulted in double digit category growth. Also, a primary force behind the launch of several core product improvements like all-natural ice cream and donut colors, whole eggs and frozen coffee.Developed and implemented an agile transformational innovation process that increased speed to market by 2x and led to the successful launch of donut fries, numerous drive-thru enhancements and a bar-inspired cold beverage tap system.

As top marketer on the Baskin-Robbins executive team, led the development and execution of a multi-pronged turnaround strategy that reversed sales declines, drove positive unit growth and set the brand on a path to success it is still enjoying today.

Developed and oversaw the execution of all category management and advertising plans, merchandising and marketing calendars for $5 billion food category at the world's largest bakery cafe chain.Highlights included significant market share gains within the QSR breakfast category through the launch of artisan bagels, oven-toasted breakfast sandwiches, and signature donut platforms.Promoted to leadership position at sister brand Baskin-Robbins after 9 months.

Led a cross-functional team of 30+ agency professionals to deliver multi-channel marketing solutions for a diverse portfolio of retail, hospitality and energy clients. RAPP is a $1.2 billion integrated and global marketing agency specializing in brand strategy, direct marketing and CRM across traditional and digital platforms. • Completed a comprehensive brand exploration for agency’s largest energy client, resulting in a new positioning platform designed to break through the low-interest and commoditized energy industry.• Drove organic growth with leading consumer electronics retail client by advancing relationship formerly limited to marketing technology and now providing social media, advanced search and local marketing solutions.• Collaborated with other agency leaders to develop and internally roll out a completely revamped client service model focused on successful business and relationship management techniques.• Finished 2010 at or above forecasted revenue and profits for all accounts under my responsibility.

Spearheaded all sales, marketing and product development functions for industry-leading new media firm targeting 80 million consumers during the workday. Delivering double digit product lift, traffic increases and response rates for some of the world's leading retail, restaurant, packaged goods and service brands. Diverse portfolio of agency and client partners includes DirecTV, Initiative Media, Dunkin Brands, JC Penney, Campbell's, McDonald's, WalMart, Ruby Tuesday, Creative Alliance and Bayer among others. • Grew 2009 revenue over prior year by 30% and EBITDA by 97% during a year of unprecedented media spending declines.• Led the expansion of firm’s primary focus on restaurant and retail accounts to include packaged goods and services, resulting in 11% incremental revenue growth from new categories.• Stabilized client churn, doubled close rate and increased average revenue per account by 15% through transforming a group of transactional sellers into a highly-consultative, strategic account sales team.• Developed state-of-the-art predictive ROI models allowing advertisers to accurately forecast and measure campaign results, with comparisons against competitive benchmarks.• Led recapitalization of the company with $1B private equity firm at a multiple of 8x EBITDA.