QDOBA Announces Appointment of Cathy Tang as Chief Legal Officer

January 12, 2026 // Franchising.com // San Diego, CA – QDOBA today announced that Cathy Tang has joined the brand as Chief Legal Officer (CLO).

Tang brings more than 25 years of restaurant and public company experience and will lead all aspects of legal, compliance, risk management and corporate governance, and play a key role in franchise strategy and transactions.

“We are very fortunate to have an executive of Cathy’s caliber join our talented leadership team. I had the privilege of experiencing her remarkable partnership and capability first-hand when she reported to me as Chief Legal Officer while I was President of KFC Corporation, and I’m thrilled to be reunited,” said John Cywinski, CEO, QDOBA. “Her blend of strategic insights, team collaboration, growth mindset and deep restaurant franchise experience will help guide us as we unlock the full potential of the QDOBA brand.”

“I'm excited to join QDOBA at this time of incredible growth," said Cathy Tang, Chief Legal Officer, QDOBA. "It's a privilege to be working alongside CEO John Cywinski again and to partner with the QDOBA team and our franchisees to build on the strong foundation that makes this brand so special.”

TANG’S BACKGROUND

Tang most recently served as Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary at Pursuit Attractions and Hospitality, Inc. (2025), following her tenure as Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary at Krispy Kreme, Inc. (2020–2024). At Krispy Kreme, Tang was responsible for all aspects of legal, SEC/regulatory compliance, corporate responsibility and board governance for the $2 billion global brand and led the legal, governance and overall oversight of its 2021 IPO.

Prior to Krispy Kreme, Tang spent over 20 years at Yum! Brands, Inc., including serving as Global Branding Counsel (2017-2020), Chief New Business Officer, KFC Global (2015-2017) and Chief Legal Officer, KFC Corporation (2009-2015).

Tang earned her law degree from the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville and her B.A. in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin.

ANNOUNCEMENT DETAILS

Q: What are Cathy Tang’s job responsibilities at QDOBA? Tang will lead QDOBA’s legal, compliance, risk management and corporate governance functions, and will play a key role in driving franchising, development and transactional initiatives.

Q: How does Cathy Tang’s appointment support franchise partners? Tang’s strong leadership and deep experience collaborating with franchisees will help QDOBA scale responsibly without slowing momentum by supporting franchising, strengthening consistency around agreements and brand standards, and helping the brand stay ahead of an evolving legal and regulatory environment.

SOURCE QDOBA Mexican Eats

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