---
title: "Starbird Names Jonathan Zacks VP of Marketing"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/1574c0fe-0847-419b-aa3b-a553a5634c4f
source: "QSR Magazine"
original_url: https://www.qsrmagazine.com/news/starbird-names-jonathan-zacks-vp-of-marketing/
category: "Restaurants"
industry: "Restaurants"
topics: ["Marketing","People"]
published: 2026-07-15T14:31:40.000Z
modified: 2026-10-31T13:16:54.284Z
image: https://www.qsrmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/jonathanzacksstarbird.jpg
---

# Starbird Names Jonathan Zacks VP of Marketing

**TL;DR:** Starbird has named Jonathan Zacks as its vice president of marketing, bringing over 20 years of marketing experience to the role. Zacks will lead the company's marketing strategy across corporate restaurants and its expanding franchise system.

*originally published in QSR Magazine on 2026-07-15. [Read the original](https://www.qsrmagazine.com/news/starbird-names-jonathan-zacks-vp-of-marketing/).*

## Story

Starbird is strengthening its leadership team by naming Jonathan Zacks as vice president of marketing. The appointment comes as Starbird builds its infrastructure and expands into new markets with franchise partners.

Zacks brings more than 20 years of marketing experience developing brand and growth strategies for some of the industry’s most recognized restaurant brands, including Chipotle, Sweetgreen, Pinkberry and Jamba.

Most recently, Zacks served as director of brand activation at Chipotle. There, he led market-level growth strategies, go-to-market strategy for new restaurants, and national brand campaigns that reinforced Chipotle’s purpose through paid media, social and influencer marketing, digital marketing, partnerships and local activations.

At Starbird, Zacks will join the company’s executive leadership team, reporting directly to CEO Greg Levin. He will lead the company’s marketing strategy across corporate restaurants and its expanding franchise system — including brand strategy, culinary, guest acquisition and loyalty, and franchise marketing — driving new market entry through company-owned growth and in partnership with franchisees as Starbird scales nationally.

“Jonathan understands how to build brands that resonate with guests while delivering measurable results,” said Greg Levin, CEO of Starbird. “He has a track record of creating culturally relevant marketing campaigns and developing high-performing teams for some of the most recognized brands in the industry. His strategic mindset and franchise perspective make him an outstanding addition to our leadership team as we continue to scale Starbird across the country.”

Zacks’ appointment is the latest in a series of leadership investments designed to support Starbird’s next phase of growth. Over the past year, the company has added Greg Levin as chief executive officer, Stefanie Lee as chief financial officer and former Jersey Mike’s president Hoyt Jones as an advisor to the board of directors, reflecting Starbird’s continued investment in experienced leadership to support its next phase of growth. Today, Starbird’s restaurants and franchise development span California, Colorado, Texas, Washington, Utah, Illinois and more.

“I’m excited to join Starbird during such an exciting period of growth,” said Zacks. “The brand has built a strong foundation rooted in innovation and quality ingredients, and I look forward to building on that momentum by growing brand awareness and bringing the Starbird experience to even more communities.”

## Entities

- QSR (sector)
- franchise expansion (topic)
- QSR Magazine (publication)
- marketing strategy (topic)
- Chipotle (company)
- leadership team (topic)
- Sweetgreen (company)
- Jamba (company)
- Starbird (company)
- Pinkberry (company)
- Greg Levin (person)
- Jonathan Zacks (person)

---
Originally reported by QSR Magazine (https://www.qsrmagazine.com/news/starbird-names-jonathan-zacks-vp-of-marketing/). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/1574c0fe-0847-419b-aa3b-a553a5634c4f).