Burger King hires a new CMO for US and Canada

Burger King has hired Joel Yashinsky as the chain’s chief marketing officer for the U.S. and Canada. Yashinsky was most recently CMO at Applebee’s and previously spent many years at Burger King’s chief rival, McDonald’s. He fills the role that was vacated by Pat O’Toole, who left BK in late 2024. “We are thrilled to welcome Joel to the Burger King leadership team and the broader BK family,” Tom Curtis, president of Burger King U.S. and Canada, said in a release. “Joel joins us at an exciting time for the brand, and brings the ideal mix of strategic marketing experience, brand-building creativity, and leadership expertise to help fuel our next chapter.” Yashinky joins as Burger King is focused on its “Reclaim the Flame” plan, a years-long strategy to drive sales that includes investing up to $700 million in advertising, digital upgrades, location remodels and kitchen upgrades by 2028. More news: The top 5 creative campaigns to know about right now He arrives as Burger King has momentum compared to rivals McDonald’s and Wendy’s. In the fourth quarter, Burger King’s comparable sales in the U.S. were up 1.5%, while McDonald’s comparable sales for the U.S. were down 1.4% and Wendy’s same-restaurant sales were up 0.9%. At Applebee’s, Yashinksy oversaw efforts including its NFL sponsorship and striking a partnership with singer Walker Hayes after his Applebee’s date night shout-out in the song “Fancy Like” went viral in 2021. He joined Applebee’s in 2018 after more than 18 years at McDonald’s, where his roles included VP of brand content for McDonald’s USA.

Burger King hires a new CMO for US and Canada

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