Bad Ass Coffee has a new president and headquarters

Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii announced that Tom Wylie has been promoted to company president.

Wylie joined the brand as chief operating officer earlier this year and is co-owner of AWA Investments, a multi-brand franchisee group. AWA is also the largest investor in Bad Ass Coffee’s parent company, Royal Aloha Coffee Company.

Leadership and growth

Wylie brings more than 20 years of franchise operations experience to the position and previously served in leadership positions with Papa John’s and Burn Boot Camp. As COO of Bad Coffee, Wylie has overseen real estate, site selection, construction, and new store openings.

The coffee franchise also announced that it has moved its headquarters from Denver, Colorado to Lexington, Kentucky, opened a new East Coast distribution center, and has reached 48 locations. Bad Ass Coffee said the latter was achieved through the strength of existing multi-unit owners, while the new distribution center is expected to improve supply consistency in the East.

The brand now has 10 multi-unit owners, with four more expected to open a second location. For the full year, Bad Ass Coffee said it expects 13 new store openings and to have 55 locations by the end of 2026.

“Everything we did in the first half of the year was about giving our owners a stronger business to build on,” said Wylie. “As a franchisee myself, I know consistency in the supply chain and discipline in how we grow matter more than any single opening.” Additional moves by the franchise include naming Iain Douglas to the role of chief strategy officer.

Team and systems updates

The brand has also strengthened its leadership team, adding Stacy Nichols as controller, Arden McLaughlin as director of communications and franchise engagement, Dave Dodson as head of local store marketing and activation, Rachael Buckley as national brand manager and Ed Yancey to lead franchise development.

Bad Ass Coffee said it is now looking to complete a full revamp of its back-office systems, “giving franchisees clearer visibility into their own unit-level economics and better tools to manage store performance.”

“The clearest signal of where this brand is headed is our existing owners choosing to open their second and third stores,” said Wylie. “That kind of reinvestment comes from experienced operators who know the model, and it is the growth we are building the company around.” For information about franchise opportunities with Bad Ass Coffee, visit