McDonald’s names Bryan Brown U.S. chief development officer
The former Raising Cane’s development executive will be charged with guiding the fast-food giant’s domestic growth.
July 1, 2026
McDonald’s search for growth landed on an executive with some experience in the matter.
The fast-food giant on Tuesday named Bryan Brown its new U.S. chief development officer. He will join the company on July 14.
Brown is a longtime industry executive who is currently operating as a consultant. But he spent more than a decade as chief development officer for the fast-casual chicken chain Raising Cane’s through 2024, guiding one of the industry’s most notable growth brands.
Before then, he had worked in real estate at JPMorgan Chase and before that Chili's parent company Brinker International.
He will take over for Tabassum Zalotrawala, who is taking a new position as SVP of global development and restaurant design.
Brown will take the domestic growth baton and gain an opportunity to guide development for the country’s largest restaurant chain as it works to build its store base.
“Bryan will play an important role ensuring that our restaurant development efforts support the evolving needs of customers, crew, and owner/operators,” Skye Anderson, U.S. chief operating officer, said in a system message on Tuesday, posted to the McDonald’s website. “His experience balancing growth, modernization, and operational excellence will be invaluable as we continue building the future of our restaurants together.”
Bryan Brown | Photo courtesy of McDonald's
Brown’s arrival comes during a critical time at McDonald’s, which recently unveiled a new business strategy called McDonald’s Next. And it comes as the chain ramps up expansion. The company’s 1.1% unit growth in the U.S. last year was its most in a quarter decade.
McDonald’s wants to have 50,000 global restaurants by 2027. It finished 2025 with 45,356.
During his tenure at Raising Cane’s, the chicken fingers chain grew from 119 locations to 828 units. But those restaurants generated increasingly strong average-unit volumes. Today, a typical Cane’s unit generates $6.6 million in sales per location.
“Throughout his career, Bryan has worked closely with operations leaders to ensure business decisions support the needs of restaurants,” Anderson said. “As we advance McDonald’s Next, that perspective is what this moment calls for, combined with deep experience leading growth, modernization, and reinvestment efforts.”
About the Author
Jonathan Maze
Editor in Chief, Restaurant Business
Restaurant Business Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Maze is a longtime industry journalist who writes about restaurant finance, mergers and acquisitions and the economy, with a particular focus on quick-service restaurants. He writes daily about the factors influencing the operating environment, including labor and food costs and various industry trends such as technology and delivery.
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