Fast-casual restaurant brand Portillo’s, renowned for its Chicago-style hot dogs, beef sandwiches, bakery treats and more, has announced the appointment of Jennifer Pecoraro-Striepling as chief development officer.

In this role, she will lead Portillo’s restaurant development strategy, including real estate and site selection, prototype design, and construction. Additionally, she will play a key role in advancing Portillo’s long-term expansion as the company continues to grow its footprint while preserving the brand’s customer experience and operational excellence.

“Jennifer brings the experience, strategic vision, and people-first leadership we need as we continue to expand Portillo’s into new and key markets,” says Brett Patterson, Portillo’s president and CEO. “We see tremendous opportunity ahead, and Jennifer’s proven ability to responsibly scale brands while protecting what makes them special gives us great confidence in our ability to accelerate growth and bring Portillo’s to even more communities.”

Pecoraro-Striepling brings more than 25 years of experience in large-scale restaurant development and global restaurant growth for multiunit restaurant and retail brands. Her experience includes developing and implementing multiple restaurant prototypes, introducing smaller and more efficient footprints, improving operational flow, and driving improved construction costs and development timelines. Most recently, she served as chief development officer for Miller’s Ale House, where she was responsible for driving the enterprise development and market-driven expansion strategies for disciplined, scalable execution. Prior to Miller’s, she held leadership roles at Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux, Papa Johns, Bloomin’ Brands, Kohl’s, and Darden Restaurants.

“Portillo’s is a brand I grew up with in Chicago, so stepping into this role is both professionally exciting and personally meaningful,” says Pecoraro-Striepling. “The company has built something truly special over the years, and I’m looking forward to working with the team to grow the brand while preserving the experience and quality that guests love.”

Related: Portillo’s newest LTO desserts feature a sprinkle of Funfetti