John Dawson

President, US Development @ Inspire

About

John Dawson is a seasoned executive with over 35 years of experience in developing strong brands and executing rapid growth plans in both domestic and international markets. He has a proven track record of operating within both private equity and public ownership models. Currently, John serves as President, US Development for Inspire Brands where he oversees domestic development, including new restaurant openings, market planning, architecture and design, franchise sales, real estate and construction. Previous to Inspire, John provided consulting and advisory services to private equity firms and executive management teams aiming to drive accelerated growth in units and market share. His areas of expertise include strategic market planning, franchisee relations, executive coaching, and positioning organizations for sale or public offering. Mr. Dawson’s previous roles include: • President and CEO of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf • Chief/Global Development Officer at Dunkin Brands USA • Vice President – Worldwide Development at McDonald's Corporation A native of Southern California, John currently lives in Miami. John earned a B.A. in both Economics and Political Science from Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California, and received a Master’s degree in Real Estate Development from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Country

United States

City

Miami

Industry

Retail

Skill

Real Estate Development, Land Acquisition, Location Intelligence, Entitlements, Franchise Consulting, Franchising

Experience

President, US Development

Inspire

2025-12 - Present · 10 mos

Responsible for all aspects of Inspire’s domestic new store development program. Responsibilities include franchising, market planning, store design, real estate analysis, acquisitions, training and asset management as well as new store construction and remodels across Inspire’s portfolio of brands.

Retail Consultant

Self employed

2015-4 - 2025-12 · 10 yrs 9 mos

Actively engaged with several Private Equity firms and Franchise entities providing services that include:  Due diligence analysis for potential acquisition of multi-unit retail concepts  Strategic growth planning and market analysis  Management team strength/organizational structure commentary/analysis

Chief Development Officer

El Pollo Loco, Inc.

2016-5 - 2018-1 · 1 yr 9 mos

 Direct report to the CEO - member of brand’s executive team  Responsible for developing and executing the domestic growth plan  Accountable for all aspects of new store development program:  Franchising/Market planning  Real Estate – analysis, acquisition and training  Store Design/Construction – new and remodels

President and CEO

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf®

2014-1 - 2015-4 · 1 yr 4 mos

Accountabilities/Deliverables:  Responsible for all aspects of global business – directly reporting to Board of Directors  Recruited and hired senior leadership team  Formulated brand’s global “4-Box” strategic growth plan.  Reversed multi-year trend of declining comp sales.  Built solid pipeline for growth – both international and domestic markets.

Chief/Global Development Officer

Dunkin'

2005-4 - 2012-12 · 7 yrs 9 mos

Recruited and trained industry leading development team. Implemented foundational infrastructure necessary for smart growth. Played an instrumental leadership role during company’s sale processes – both public and private.  Direct report to the CEO - member of brand’s executive team  Responsible for developing and executing the domestic growth plan for two distinct brands  Accountable for all aspects of new store development program:  Franchising/Market planning  Store Design  Real Estate – analysis, acquisition and training  Construction – new and remodels Accountabilities/Deliverables: Successful IPO and sustained growth in all relevant metrics • Traditional and non-traditional openings – industry leading pace o Average new store opening run rate: +475 new locations per year o Average remodel run rate: ~375 locations per year

Vice-President - Worldwide Development

McDonald's

1988 - 2005 · 17 yrs

Set strategic direction and advised Divisional Presidents on allocation of development resources. Direct management responsibility for the following corporate development departments:  Strategic Market Analysis  Sales analysis and modeling  Training