THE BON & ONLY

FOCUS Brands® is a leading developer of global foodservice franchise systems and the indirect parent company of Cinnabon® and several other iconic foodservice brands.

Together, FOCUS Brands® and the Cinnabon® Leadership Team bring their years of experience and expertise to every area of your franchise business.

Real Estate

Our team of regional Real Estate Managers can assist you with real estate selection and the leasing process.

Construction & Design

Bakery design packages are offered to each franchise owner looking to expand with Cinnabon®. We also help with architect and contractor introductions and bids, plan review, timelines, and more.

Operations

Every franchise owner has access to the Franchise Business Consultant Team for business review and performance analysis, as well as ongoing consultation. We are available to ensure that your Bakeries are running optimally through regular store visits to help with training, marketing, and relationship building.

Training Systems/Policies/Procedures

Cinnabon® offers comprehensive certified training for franchise owners and key managers. Additionally, you are granted access to online training tools and development support to train your teams efficiently and effectively.

Supply Chain Distribution

Franchise owners benefit from a full Supply Chain Team that is dedicated to helping you get the best price for all ingredients to run your Bakeries. When it comes to purchasing power, franchise owners leverage the buying power of an international supply chain.

Technology

Our robust digital platform gives us intelligence gathering and benchmarking abilities to help you meet the needs of today’s connected consumers. The Cinnabon® IT Team helps to ensure your consumer-facing and operational tools are functioning properly in order to provide a positive user experience.

Marketing Strategy & Consumer Insights

Dedicated marketing and public relations staff are ready to assist with marketing and media planning. We know the ins and outs of the Cinnabon® customer and will create plans to encourage traffic to your Bakery. The national marketing campaign includes LTOs and other campaigns to increase traffic further.

Social & Digital Media

At Cinnabon®, we pride ourselves on a strong digital and social media presence–especially since our most loyal customers are social-loving Millennials! Our team is here to maintain the fun flair of the brand and keep the brand top of mind. We will also ensure that you’re equipped to manage your own digital channels.

Multi-Channel Growth

You name it, Cinnabon® has done in it. Cinnabon® has teams in place to ensure that Cinnabon® has a fast-growing presence beyond our Bakeries through retail and strategic partnerships.

International & Global Development

The Development Team enables our franchise owners to spend less time building their Bakeries and more time building their business. The team helps ensure the brand’s operational and image standards are upheld, establishes relationships with local, national, and international vendors, and helps you monitor the construction timeline.

Our leadership team comes with passion, experience, and support baked in.

Kristen Hartman

President

Karyn Sarago

Chief Marketing Officer

Okey Reese

Vice President of Sales & Real Estate Retail Markets

Tom Richards

Vice President of Non-Traditional Development

Kristen Hartman, President

With over 20 years of experience in the quick service restaurant industry, Kristen began her career in research and media before joining the Burger King Corporation. She has held many marketing roles, including Vice President of Marketing and Brand Activation.

In 2012, Kristen joined FOCUS Brands® as Vice President of Marketing for Cinnabon® where she oversaw brand marketing, menu innovation, and consumer engagement strategies. Her leadership was instrumental in the brand’s resurgence as a global icon, increasing its footprint to over 1,500 Bakeries around the globe and nearly 80 licensed products in the retail marketplace.

In 2016, she advanced to SVP of Global Marketing of FOCUS Brands® Snack Brands and was a key contributor in FOCUS Brands,® Global Channels division leading marketing for multi-channel licensing growth. In her subsequent role as SVP of Brand Marketing Strategy, Kristen influenced all brands within the FOCUS Brands® portfolio, leading social media, public relations, strategic brand positioning, and concept evolution.

In April of 2018, Kristen was named President of Cinnabon®. Through her vast experience with iconic foodservice brands, Kristen brings the knowledge and passion necessary to sustain and strengthen the growth of the Cinnabon® brand and enrich the corporate culture.

Karyn Sarago, Chief Marketing Officer

Karyn Sarago joined Cinnabon as Chief Marketing Officer in 2018, where her expertise transforming brand experience and driving brand relevance will be leveraged to continue the growth and evolution of Cinnabon.

Karyn came to Cinnabon after spending more than 15 years at InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG). Most recently as Global Director of Brand Design and Experience for Hotel Indigo, she was responsible for brand experience strategy, identity and communication. Prior to her role with Hotel Indigo, Karyn spent time as Director, Brand Experience for Holiday Inn Express, leading the development and implementation of the strategy to transform the brand’s guest experience with new design, menu and merchandising of their Express Start breakfast program on behalf of the brand’s 2,700 franchised hotels in the Americas region. In addition, she has held a wide variety of additional marketing roles for IHG including strategy, positioning, integrated brand advertising campaigns and national promotions.

Karyn leads the Cinnabon marketing team, responsible for the strategy and implementation of the brand’s marketing calendar, menu development, consumer activations, brand growth initiatives, PR and communications, digital, and paid media.

Okey Reese, Vice President of Sales & Real Estate Retail Markets

Okey oversees the Traditional Franchise Development Real Estate and Specialty Retail departments for Auntie Anne’s®, Cinnabon®, and Carvel®. His responsibilities include the strategic oversight of identifying new growth opportunities throughout the United States, developing landlord/broker partnerships, and discovering locations for franchisees. He has been with FOCUS Brands® since 2010 and served as a Leasing Representative before being promoted to Director of Real Estate-West Coast in 2012.

Prior to joining, Okey spent seven years at CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. leasing regional malls. Okey earned his B.S. in Finance from The Pennsylvania State University.

Tom Richards, Vice President of Non-Traditional Development

Tom is a top-performing and visionary business development executive specializing in the retail restaurant industry, with a prolific track record in strategic unit and channel development, sales development, license/franchise administration, and key account management. Tom joined the FOCUS Brands® family in 2017 as the Vice President of Non-Traditional Development. He is in charge of expanding the footprint of Cinnabon® as well as FOCUS Brands®’ six other iconic brands to airports, universities, travel center channels and other venues. Previously, Tom held roles as the Executive Director of Non-Traditional Development at DineEquity and National Director, Channel Development at Yum! Brands, Inc., which operates at KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell. Tom holds a BA in Chemistry from Northwestern University and an MBA specializing in Marketing from the University of Wisconsin.