Church’s Texas Chicken® Promotes Ryan Hanawalt to SVP, U.S. Franchising and Operations Services
Hanawalt helped transform the company’s field team and elevate guest experiences
ATLANTA– March 7, 2025 – Church’s Texas Chicken® and Texas Chicken™, one of the largest quick-service chicken restaurant chains in the world, announced the promotion of Ryan Hanawalt to Senior Vice President, U.S. Franchising and Operations Services, effective immediately. In his new role, Hanawalt will manage the company’s U.S. franchise portfolio and serve as the primary liaison between operations excellence, franchisees and the company.
“Ryan’s experience and expertise have played a pivotal role in enhancing our operations and fostering strong relationships with our franchisees,” said Roland Gonzalez, CEO of Church’s Texas Chicken®. “His efforts in advancing key strategic initiatives are helping propel our brands forward. This promotion is a great example of our internal talent pipeline and meritocracy which we plan on continuing to bolster.”
In his new role, Hanawalt will continue to level up the company’s execution and focus on operations excellence while driving innovation, enhancing profitability, and strengthening relationships with franchisees. In addition to managing the U.S.-based franchise team, he will oversee the global operations services team which supports the systems and tools that help to drive operational excellence.
“Since joining Church’s Texas Chicken®, I have witnessed firsthand our incredible journey in transforming restaurant operations and elevating the guest experience,” said Ryan Hanawalt, SVP, U.S. Franchising and Operations Services for Church’s Texas Chicken®. “The progress we’ve made is just the beginning, and I’m thrilled to continue working with our franchisees and internal teams to accelerate our brands growth domestically.”
Hanawalt brings more than 16 years of experience in the quick-service restaurant industry, with a strong background in operations, finance, and strategy. Hanawalt joined Church’s Texas Chicken® in May 2024 as the Vice President of U.S. Franchise Operations and has played an active role in strategic planning initiatives, working closely with senior leadership to identify growth opportunities, market trends, and competitive strategies. Previously, he held roles at CKE as Vice President of Restaurant Excellence and Vice President of Strategy and Business Transformation.
Hanawalt graduated from the University of Colorado-Boulder with a B.S. and B.A. in Finance.
About Church’s Texas Chicken® / Texas Chicken™
Founded in San Antonio, TX in 1952 by George W. Church Sr., Church’s Texas Chicken®, along with its sister brand Texas Chicken™ outside of the U.S., is one of the largest quick-service chicken restaurant chains in the world. The brands specialize in Original and Spicy Chicken freshly prepared throughout the day in small batches that are hand-battered and double-breaded, tenders, sandwiches, freshly baked Honey-Butter Biscuits™, and classic, home-style sides—all for a great value. Church’s Texas Chicken® and Texas Chicken™ have more than 1,400 locations in 22 countries and global markets, with system-wide sales of more than $1.5 billion. Owned by High Bluff Capital Partners and FS Investments since 2021, Church’s Texas Chicken® celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2022.
For more information, visit www.churchs.com and texaschicken.com. You can also follow Church’s Texas Chicken® on Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok. For more details on open positions, please visit Church’s Texas Chicken® Careers, Jobs & Applications and franchising opportunities are available at franchise.churchstexaschicken.com or franchise.texaschicken.com.
Contact:
Kelly Kaufman
K Squared Group
kelly@ksquaredgroup.com
