Tony Roma’s CEO Mina Haque may be new to the foodservice sector, but her multifaceted professional background appears to be an asset – not a drawback.
Haque began working with the legacy chain in an advisory capacity before being appointed as interim CEO and then offered the role in a permanent capacity.
In addition to her role as chief executive, Haque is still a practicing lawyer, serving as the principal attorney and founder of the Law Office of Mohaimina Haque, PLLC, a firm that specializes in business, immigration, franchise, and trademark law.
“The experience of building my own law firm and being a lawyer was actually helpful coming into Tony Roma’s because the company really needed the core skill set that I have, such as asking questions and looking at things very thoroughly. I was able to provide that, first through my role as general counsel,” Haque told FI.
“I want the company to be very competitive in terms of incorporating AI, robotics, making client interactions seamless, and most importantly, working with partners to see how we can make back-of-the-house operations more smooth, because the restaurant industry, as you know, is very labor intensive. It requires a lot, and this is one industry where it’s hard to retain the workforce. There’s a huge turnover,” Haque explained.
Another aspect of Haque’s vision for the chain is modernizing the 53-year-old restaurant chain’s menu to cater to Gen Z diners – but if the recent Cracker Barrel backlash taught us anything, it’s that this sort of endeavor requires a blend of patience, strategy, and mindfulness.
So, what makes Tony Roma’s approach unique?
Mindful Modernization
“One thing I have learned at Tony Roma’s is that change is hard for everyone – franchisees, employees, and customers who love the brand – especially if it’s a brand that has been around for so long. My approach is a little bit different, as we’re moving at a very slow place, but that’s intentional. It’s better to take baby steps and make incremental changes, rather than drastic changes, which is one of the reasons why we didn’t make changes to the entire menu or mandate them for all our franchisees,” Haque told FI.
Key areas of Haque’s menu modernization strategy, which she developed based on market research conducted by an outside firm, include:
- Offering new, global, and healthier LTO menu items
- Pursuing collabs with trendy, local brands
- Developing market-specific dishes
The chain’s newest franchise, which opened in Kimball, Tennessee, on October 14th, reflects the new strategy – including a menu refresh featuring LTO items like Smoky BBQ Corn “Ribs,” the chain’s take on plant-based ribs, as well as multiple zero-proof cocktails like a rosewater refresher to capitalize on the growing sober curiosity movement and Gen Z’s tendency to drink less than older generations.
And for those who still like to enjoy a traditional cocktail from time to time, Tony Roma’s is partnering with the Tennessee Shine Co. to create two local, specialty drinks: The Blackberry Bramble Shine and Blue Ridge Mountain Shine.
Haque believes that part of the reason why this approach works so well is because of its “democratic” nature, as the chain allows franchisees to develop their own LTO menu items to align with regional preferences, available ingredients, and other location-specific factors – and to avoid alienating its long-term customer base, Tony Roma’s core menu remains largely unchanged.
But despite the success Haque has enjoyed thus far in her time as CEO, she’s also encountered plenty of challenges as the legacy chain’s first female CEO.
“When a man becomes a CEO, they don’t have to convince anyone that they’re capable of doing the job. As for me, I feel like I have to go through a mini job interview every day when interacting with franchise partners or other stakeholders to establish that I’m qualified to lead a 53-year-old company in this male-dominated industry,” Haque told FI.
Food for Thought Leadership
This Episode is Sponsored by: Performance Foodservice
How important is it as a food distributor to build a brand for foodservice – especially since consumers may never see or recognize it? Mike Seidel, vice president of procurement at Performance Foodservice Corporate, shares how the company views the development of its existing foodservice brands, including Roma and Contigo, and how they helped in the creation of its most recent Mediterranean concept Zebec.
