Dive Brief:
- Pilot Company has named Sheeva Hoders as vice president of food and beverage, a spokesperson from the travel center chain confirmed to C-Store Dive.
- Hoders succeeds Jamie King, who left Pilot on July 3, according to the spokesperson. In her position, Hoders will lead the development of Pilot’s “future-focused retail food strategy,” the spokesperson added.
- Hoders takes the helm of Pilot’s food and beverage efforts a few months after the travel center chain launched a new proprietary food program, Pilot eats, with plans to expand the concept across its more than 900 travel centers.
Dive Insight:
Hoders brings nearly nine years of experience at Pilot to the position, having worked on the retailer’s brand, marketing and business planning teams before taking her previous role of senior director of food planning and development, according to her LinkedIn bio.
She now spearheads Pilot’s food and beverage efforts, which changed course with the launch of Pilot eats. The new program supplants the company’s older PJ Fresh program that initially debuted in 2013.
Pilot eats expands on the company’s hot deli menu and features hand-roped pizza and a southern chicken sandwich. An express version of the program includes traditional grab-and-go items such as pizza, chicken wings, tenders, packaged sandwiches and various sides.
In a statement to C-Store Dive, Sean Marrero, president of retail for Pilot, said Hoders “has been a critical part of developing our future-focused retail food strategy” since joining the company’s retail team.
“When someone chooses to stop at Pilot, they’re trusting us to provide high-quality, craveable food options,” Marrero said. “I am excited for Sheeva to lead this effort and look forward to all the ways we will continue delivering exceptional experiences to our guests.”
Pilot’s spokesperson did not share a reason for King’s recent departure. In a LinkedIn post last week, King said he “made the decision to retire/step away and begin a new chapter.” He had been with Pilot for over a quarter century, per his LinkedIn bio.
