Playa Bowls, the Belmar-based superfruit and acai bowl franchise, announced a series of strategic executive appointments and promotions designed to accelerate its growth footprint and bolster its technological and digital infrastructure as it prepares to surpass 400 open shops nationwide this month.
The leadership expansion spans the brand’s development, marketing, and digital landscapes, positioning the firm to handle a rapidly growing pipeline of corporate and franchised locations across the United States and Canada.
Central to the reorganization is the promotion of Jayson Tipp to the newly established position of chief growth officer. Formerly serving as the company’s Chief Development Officer, Tipp’s expanded remit tasking him with driving enterprise growth strategies by unifying corporate development, technology infrastructure, and digital marketing systems under one umbrella.
Stepping into Tipp’s former vacancy, Playa Bowls has recruited restaurant real estate veteran Patrick Turek as the new chief development officer. Turek will command the brand’s franchise sales, real estate procurement, architectural design, and construction divisions. Turek transitions to Playa Bowls with over 20 years of sector experience, most recently serving as senior vice president of development at Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, where he scaled the brand’s footprint across North America following a prior executive real estate run at Panera Bread.
“Playa Bowls is a brand that consumers feel a real connection to… and as we continue to grow, our focus is to protect the brand and leverage our scale,” John Cappasola, CEO of Playa Bowls said. “Beyond supporting our growth and franchise owners, this team brings an experienced perspective that will strengthen how we develop shops, evolve our systems and processes, and continue building a brand that resonates in every market we enter.”
To sustain long-term traffic gains and foster consumer engagement, the brand has concurrently reinforced its marketing division with high-profile industry hires:
- Tim Hackbardt (Chief Marketing Officer): Taking the marketing helm, Hackbardt will manage brand strategy, menu engineering, and product pipeline innovation. Bringing more than 30 years of multi-unit restaurant executive background, Hackbardt’s prior portfolio includes marketing and digital transformation leadership roles at Del Taco, Inspire Brands, and BJ’s Restaurants.
- Mark Foulds (Vice President of Digital Marketing): Foulds is tasked with elevating the brand’s proprietary digital application architecture, customer loyalty reward ecosystem, and performance marketing strategies. Foulds joins the company following digital and brand leadership positions with Inspire Brands and Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux.
Meanwhile, Playa Bowls co-founder Abby Taylor will remain actively anchored at the brand’s creative helm as chief creative officer. Taylor will continue driving the chain’s trademark visual identity, in-shop design elements, and core menu flavors, maintaining the authentic surf-inspired atmosphere that catalyzed the company’s trajectory from a single Jersey Shore stand to a dominant national player.
