Togos’ New Chief Concept Officer Has Big Plans for the Next-Generation Brand

Growing up on the West Coast, Togo’s has always been Glenn Lunde’s favorite sandwich shop. Throughout high school, he’d regularly drop by after class for a quick bite. This was nearly three decades ago, and ever since, he’s never stopped eating at Togo’s . He later converted his wife and kids into super fans, too. And today, he’s proud to say that Togo’s is still the only sandwich shop his family goes to.

As a Restaurant executive for the past 15 years, Lunde has led restaurant concepts through turnaround situations, market expansions and highly profitable growth. Before joining Togo’s, Glenn served as Chief Concept Officer for Einstein Noah’s Restaurant Group, a 900-unit company where he led menu architecture, culinary innovation, restaurant design and marketing efforts. He also served as the Chief Marketing Officer for Panda Restaurant Group, where he championed Panda’s first TV campaign and helped to elevate the brand’s guest experience from a fast food cafeteria to a fast casual restaurant to become the dominant player in the Asian restaurant category.

Glenn has a track record of building national franchises into sustainable, profitable operators that achieve long-term success. He will be a valuable leader for our brand repositioning and concept development efforts,” said Tony Gioia, CEO at Togo’s. “It’s my pleasure to welcome Glenn to the Togo’s family.”

In his new role, Lunde will be focused on defining and refining what the Togo’s experience is all about—for both guests and franchisees. This is much bigger than marketing—it’s about updating our concept and communicating what Togo’s is all about. What does a customer feel when they enter the restaurant? How does the Togo’s service work for the customer? How do we make it easier for a franchisee to run a Togo’s? And how can we make it a more profitable investment? My task now is finding that win-win for franchisees and our guests,” Lunde said.

In his new role as the Chief Concept Officer, Lunde’s most important customer is the franchisee. If the franchisee is happy, he says, that means the guests are happy, too. Which is why, in the years ahead, Lunde has made it a top priority to work closely with the Togo’s executive team and franchisees to perfect the brand’s franchise model. By making the business easier to operate, they can boost in-restaurant efficiency and the franchisee’s bottom line.

• The new “pay first” model will be rolled out, similar to Starbucks and Jimmy John’s. A guest comes into the restaurant, places an order and pays. Then, someone else from the Togo’s team makes the sandwich.
• The current system, where the same person takes the order and assembles the sandwich, will be replaced. This will allow for faster and more accurate sandwich making with less labor.
• The franchisee won’t have to have as much staff on the floor, and the guest gets their food faster.

Having an irresistible core product doesn’t hurt, either. With fresh, high-quality ingredients, big portions and unique signature sandwiches, Togo’s has established a strong fan base that can only be described as cult-like. And now, by introducing a more streamlined business model, customers can continue enjoying the food they’ve always loved—but faster.

“This is the most exciting time to be a part of Togo’s. We’re on the verge of a next generation concept. It’ll be an incredible evolution, and I’m so excited about the direction we’re heading. We make the best sandwiches in the industry, and now, we’re on our way to providing the best franchise opportunity in the industry,” Lunde said.