Goodhew joins the fast-casual concept off the back of a long career in building tech for major brands.
BurgerFi International Inc. has announced that Karl Goodhew will be the brand’s chief technology officer, with his main focus on modernizing the drive-thru systems at BurgerFi as well as amplifying the brand’s mobile app.
“Our investments in our digital platforms like our mobile application, loyalty program, and online ordering capabilities positioned us well to deal with the dramatic changes in consumer behavior caused by the pandemic,” said Julio Ramirez, CEO of BurgerFi.
“Given the increasingly important role technology plays in our ability to deliver a seamless guest experience and operate as efficiently and profitably as possible, we recognized the need to have a chief technology officer. We’re excited to have someone with Karl’s experience and track record joining our team. I know he’ll effectively lead our efforts to leverage technology in an even bigger and better way to help us realize the significant growth opportunities we have.”
Goodhew joins BurgerFi after serving as director of software engineering at Macy’s Inc. He has also held positions at Home Depot, YellowPepper, and JCPenny where he was responsible for all aspects of the organization’s five-star-rated consumer mobile apps.
“Goodhew has a proven background in engineering and is a product leader with more than 15 years of experience in software development with an emphasis in quality, delivery, and guest experience while managing and overseeing enterprise-level programs,” said Ophir Sternberg, executive chairman. “As a data-driven decision-maker who ensures alignment with all teams while driving business growth, I am confident Karl will make an extraordinary addition to the BurgerFi executive team.”
For almost a decade, Goodhew has served in leadership roles at various large retailers and start-ups. He recently helped launch Market by Macy’s, lead the cloud transformation for Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s stores, and built a diverse team of engineers focused on store selling and operations.
At YellowPepper, Goodhew built a PCI compliant payment system and integrated the solution into Facebook Messenger. He has delivered cloud architecture solutions, successful digital customer experiences, and secure financial systems throughout his career.
“I am excited to build an engineering team that will enable capabilities and features in the loyalty, delivery, and payments space. We are just starting the journey to provide a customer experience that gives the customer the best burger selections when and where they want to order, however they choose,” said Goodhew.
“Additionally, I am thrilled to take on the capabilities of BurgerFi’s extensive omnichannel platforms. Our customers will be excited and rewarded by the leadership team’s plans to drive additional innovation throughout our customer experience. By testing new technology and enabling innovative multi-channel services, we’ll position BurgerFi for explosive growth.”
