7-Eleven has named William Armstrong as its new senior vice president of restaurant operations, a company spokesperson confirmed.
In his new role, Armstrong is responsible for leading the “ongoing profitable growth” of the convenience retailer’s restaurant business, according to his company bio. He now reports to Doug Rosencrans, 7-Eleven’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, the spokesperson said.
7-Eleven’s restaurant arm includes hundreds of Laredo Taco Company locations across 14 states and the District of Columbia, and about 60 Raise the Roost Chicken & Biscuits restaurants across 11 states.
Armstrong joins 7-Eleven after spending the past year and half as chief brand officer of Focus Brands, where he led the strategic direction of Schlotzsky’s restaurants, according to his LinkedIn bio. Besides Schlotzsky’s, Focus Brands also operates and franchises restaurants like Moe’s Southwest Grill, Auntie Anne’s, Cinnabon and McAlister’s Deli.
Prior to Focus Brands, Armstrong spent nearly two years as Wendy’s head of international operations, where he set the “operational vision and standards” for new restaurants outside the U.S., according to his LinkedIn bio. Armstrong also spent 13 years as franchise area director for Wendy’s Latin America operations earlier in his career.
From 2010 to 2021, Armstrong held several leadership positions with McDonald’s, including director of operations, vice president of operations and franchising, and vice president and general manager. In the latter, he oversaw McDonald’s marketing, development and operations strategies for 1,200 locations across five states.
Irving, Texas-based 7-Eleven operates, franchises and/or licenses more than 13,000 c-stores in the U.S. and Canada. The convenience retailer took partial control of the Laredo Taco brand when it acquired over 1,100 Stripes c-stores in 2017, and agreed to acquire the remaining Laredo Taco locations earlier this year. 7-Eleven opened its first Raise the Roost restaurant in March 2020.
