GoTo Foods appoints Kieran Donahue as Chief Commercial Officer

Chief Commercial Officer Kieran Donahue | Photo credit: GoTo Foods

US franchise group GoTo Foods has appointed former IHOP executive Kieran Donahue as its new Chief Commercial Officer. 
 

The Atlanta-based group, which operates seven QSR chains including Cinnabon, Auntie Anne’s and Carvel, said Donahue will oversee commercial operations across consumer insights, revenue generation, customer loyalty, marketing, paid media, brand PR and digital.   

“This past year has been transformational for GoTo Foods, and as our business has continued to grow, it was time for us to establish a commercial organisation where our centralised, revenue-driving engines create even greater value for our iconic brands,” said Jim Holthouser, CEO, GoTo Foods. 

Donahue served as IHOP’s Chief Marketing Officer from 2021 until October 2024, where she is credited with modernising the US restaurant chain’s digital marketing, restoring revenue to pre-pandemic levels and launching the franchise’s loyalty programme, which now has 10 million members. She previously held senior marketing roles at hotel groups Marriott and Hilton. 

“I see unlimited potential to harness the power of our seven iconic brands. By prioritising how we use data and insights to drive consumer engagement with our brands, we will simultaneously work to ensure our brand franchisees receive the support and resources necessary to thrive in the competitive QSR space,” Donahue said.   

GoTo Foods, which traded as Focus Brands until February 2024, franchises more than 6,700 restaurants, cafés, ice cream shops and bakeries across nearly 60 markets globally. In March 2024, the franchise group announced that its McAlister’s Deli fast-casual restaurant chain had surpassed $1bn in systemwide sales – the first of its concepts to do so.