Black Rifle Coffee Taps Former Wendy’s CEO to Lead Store Expansion

Black Rifle Coffee Company (Salt Lake City) is setting its sights on a major brick-and-mortar expansion.

The coffee maker has appointed Roland Smith the Executive Chairman of its board so he can work more closely with the C-suite to open 60 new stores, CNBC reports.

The CEO of Wendy’s in 2011 before serving as Office Depot’s chief executive from 2013 until 2017, Smith was already on Black Rifle Coffee’s board, joining it when the company went public earlier this year.

The company says it plans to have 78 stores by the end of 2023, up from the 18 it was operating at the end of this year’s first quarter, according to the article.

Black Rifle Coffee – which features images of firearms on its packaging and sells products dubbed “AK-47 Espresso Blend” and “Murdered Out Coffee Roast” – recently drew criticism after its partnership with the Dallas Cowboys was announced the day after the July 4 mass shooting in Highland Park, IL. The company responded by saying the deal had been in the works for a long time.

The company’s net sales in 2021 were $233 million. It forecasts that number growing to $315 million this year.

Read more at CNBC.