--- title: "California Tortilla Celebrates New Leadership As the Brand Enters Next Phase of Growth" url: https://burnaze.com/article/4647ca0d-8798-4003-9781-f66a5cd9456a source: "1851 Franchise" original_url: https://1851franchise.com/california-tortilla-celebrates-new-leadership-as-the-brand-enters-next-phase-of-growth-2711075 category: "Mexican" industry: "Restaurants" segment: "Mexican" topics: ["Development & multi-unit","People"] published: 2019-09-24T14:09:44.000Z modified: 2026-11-01T02:29:33.240Z image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/bf68ced870aa6a9f1af5c8deee9d13cd8893.jpg --- # California Tortilla Celebrates New Leadership As the Brand Enters Next Phase of Growth **TL;DR:** California Tortilla has new leadership as it enters its next phase of growth, with over 45 locations open and in development. The brand has brought on new management team members with franchising industry experience to lead expansion efforts. *originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2019-09-24. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/california-tortilla-celebrates-new-leadership-as-the-brand-enters-next-phase-of-growth-2711075).* ## Story Having the right development team in place is crucial to achieving next-level franchise growth, and if there is any brand that understands this, it’s California Tortilla. As part of a strategic plan developed by President Bob Phillips to grow past the 100-unit threshold in the next few years, not only has California Tortilla invested in new operations and a store refresh, it has also brought on new management team members who are franchising industry pros with Fortune 500 experience. The timing is perfect—with over 45 locations open and in development along the East Coast, the fast casual Mexican-style restaurant chain is quickly becoming a premier food brand. California Tortilla has a presence in Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and West Virginia, as well as its home state of Maryland—and beyond. Cal Tort will open its first Tennessee restaurant in Chattanooga and its first Kansas location in Wichita in late 2019 and is ready to expand into North Carolina, as well. California Tortilla’s new franchise development team members will be leading these expansion efforts. Director of Franchise Development Aaron Goldberg, Director of Franchise Operations Mike Dolinger and Franchise Consultant Martin Good will help the brand finish off 2019 strong and head into 2020 with unprecedented momentum. Goldberg recently joined California Tortilla after spending the past 11 years in the franchise development space. His specialty is developing brands in new markets with well-qualified multi-unit and multi-concept franchisees. He has worked for brands such as ZIPS Dry Cleaners and Boardwalk Fries. He also worked for T-Mobile. “My main focus will be to identify and award development rights to best-in-class multi-unit franchisees and identify and develop high-quality locations in resonating markets,” Goldberg said. “By the end of 2025, I would like to see California Tortilla at 100 units and in 10 new DMAs. I would also like to see us nationally recognized as a top QSR brand.” Goldberg started off as a fan of California Tortilla’s hand-crafted food and top-notch customer service. A loyal customer for years, Goldberg followed California Tortilla professionally, as well/ The intelligent growth and development he observed throughout the years was the primary driver in his choice to join the brand. “When I first met the team at California Tortilla, I quickly realized this was a successful and professional organization with an eye on smart and sustainable growth,” said Goldberg. “Culturally, the main focus at California Tortilla is on serving and repeatedly delighting customers, which was in line with my customer service background.” Dolinger joined the California Tortilla team in Fall 2018 as Director of Franchise Operations. He started his career as a franchisee with ExxonMobile straight out of college and later transitioned into restaurant franchising. He most recently worked as the Director of Operations for the Clover Restaurant Group. Prior to that, he ran East Coast operations for Caribou Coffee. Dolinger is also a food enthusiast who went to culinary school at night just as he was getting into the restaurant world. “I love the passion that president Bob Phillips and COO Keith Goldman have for the brand,” Dolinger said. “They are very compassionate franchise operators who always put the needs of the franchisees first. California Tortilla is a brand I can identify with and be proud to represent and one that I truly feel that I can impact. I am excited to see the accelerated growth of our brand with both our current operators as well as new franchisees.” Good joined California Tortilla in April 2019 as a franchise consultant tasked with franchisee support in business operations. Before joining California Tortilla, Good worked in regional operations roles in the mid-Atlantic region for Barnes & Noble and Starbucks. He also worked as a learning and development team manager at the iconic coffee brand. Like his new colleagues, Good was a fan of California Tortilla long before he came to work there. He loved the fresh quality of the food and the brand’s commitment to its customers, things he takes to heart in his new role. “We live in a world where customers are more educated than ever when it comes to fresh ingredients and healthy eating,” Good said. “At California Tortilla, we create and message our menus in a way that is impactful and meaningful to customers. We have a commitment and a responsibility to live up to that. I hope to continue to help build a community and culture of franchisees committed to delivering the California Tortilla experience., helping the brand continue to be known for what makes it special in many more places across the country.” ## Entities - 1851 Franchise (publication) - Restaurants (sector) - franchise development (topic) - Starbucks (company) - Caribou Coffee (company) - California Tortilla (company) - T-Mobile (company) - new leadership (topic) - expansion efforts (topic) - growth phase (topic) - management team (topic) --- Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/california-tortilla-celebrates-new-leadership-as-the-brand-enters-next-phase-of-growth-2711075). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/4647ca0d-8798-4003-9781-f66a5cd9456a).