Celebrity chef David Chang’s chain restaurant Fuku, inspired by Asian and American cuisine, appointed Claudia Lezcano as its new CEO, according to QSR Magazine.
Lezcano brings to the table years of marketing experience with Burger King and her time as the senior vice president of U.S. marketing at Church’s Chicken, which will enable her to carry out the chain’s brand reset.
“I’ve always loved everything Momofuku and David Chang, and certainly have followed the brand of Fuku since its inception,” said Lezcano. “Fuku is really more fast casual, and that’s the angle we’re taking as we go forward but with a commitment to operations, product excellence and guest engagement.”
Fuku is a spin off of Chang’s brand, Momofuku, with 14 locations in New York, California, Florida, Delaware, North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, Washington and Texas.
Fuku’s new brand, marketing strategy
“It sounds so cliche, but it’s just a brand reset where we go back to our origin story, and really the birthplace of Fuku here in New York,” said Lezcano. “So we’re really leaning into our origin story a little bit more.”
Lezcano wants to give the locations a neighborly atmosphere which could help guide future location design choices, especially if franchising is incorporated. The reset will be extensive from logo design to packaging to marketing strategy.
“It’s going to be a big opportunity to deliver a clear brand strategy and consistency,” said Lezcano. “We’re a little bit inconsistent right now from a marketing and packaging standpoint.”
Fuku’s contribution to the chicken sandwich wars
Fuku’s chicken sandos, a Japanese style sandwich, bring some extra heat into the chicken sandwich wars with its habanero-brined chicken patties.
“You know, being in the food space, you’re always looking for innovators that are pushing the boundaries,” said Lezcano. “So when this chicken sandwich with a twist came out in 2015, it was new and different and just spectacular, and, as you know, the chicken sandwich wars have just escalated since 2020.”
