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Award-winning craft casual brand strengthens marketing and creative capabilities with industry-leading talent following continued growth and development success
Pasadena, CA (RestaurantNews.com) Following development momentum and brand expansion throughout 2026, Dog Haus is reinforcing the leadership team behind its brand evolution, adding proven outside experience to help strengthen, evolve and amplify one of the restaurant industry’s most distinctive brands.
The award-winning craft casual brand has appointed restaurant and consumer-brand executive James Field as chief marketing officer, and promoted CJ Ramirez into the role of chief experience officer. Field is also bringing an accomplished team of marketing executives into the organization, creating a leadership structure designed to accelerate brand growth, strengthen franchisee support and enhance the guest experience across the Dog Haus system.
As Dog Haus continues expanding nationally, Field will lead marketing strategy and growth, while Ramirez will work across functions to strengthen brand stewardship for area director effectiveness and systemwide alignment. Together, they will help ensure the corporate organization serves the area directors and franchisees responsible for bringing the Dog Haus experience to life, providing the alignment, information and resources needed to drive the brand forward.
“CJ has been instrumental in shaping Dog Haus into the brand it is today, earning the trust of our franchisees and leadership team through his creativity and relentless commitment,” said Michael Montagano, CEO of Dog Haus. “This promotion recognizes his impact and provides a broader platform to leverage his institutional knowledge and experience as an invaluable resource to Dog Haus’ area directors, franchisees and leadership team during the brand’s next phase of growth.”
As chief marketing officer, Field will oversee Dog Haus’ full-funnel marketing strategy, positioning, social and digital channels, partnerships, franchisee communications and revenue-focused initiatives. His mandate includes making the company’s marketing investment work efficiently across every stage of the customer journey while creating meaningful opportunities for growth.
“Welcoming James from the C-suite at Jersey Mike’s to the C-suite at Dog Haus is a game-changing addition for our brand,” said Montagano. “His proven experience scaling a national franchise system, combined with the exceptional team he’s assembled across marketing, creative, innovation and digital growth, gives us tremendous firepower to support our franchisees and accelerate Dog Haus’ next era of growth.”
Field previously served as chief innovation officer of Jersey Mike’s, where he built an enterprise innovation function that accelerated incremental revenue and operational efficiency. He also served as chief marketing officer of L.A. Libations and led foodservice marketing for Cholula Hot Sauce during a period of rapid growth that led to its acquisition by McCormick.
“Dog Haus has always challenged convention, and that’s exactly what makes this opportunity so exciting,” said Field. “This brand has the courage to do things differently, and the seasoned group of executives I’m fortunate to be bringing with me is wired the same way. Our careers have repeatedly intersected across leading restaurant and consumer brands, and uniting that collective experience under one roof at Dog Haus gives us the ability to move quickly and turn unconventional ideas into marketing that captures attention, helps franchisees win and generates measurable growth.”
Joining Field are three executives whose individual backgrounds span major foodservice, consumer packaged goods, and beverage-alcohol brands, bringing complementary expertise across marketing strategy, creative innovation and off-premise growth.
Clare Baños joins Dog Haus as executive vice president of marketing and will oversee marketing strategy, consumer insights, guest experience and paid media. A Wharton MBA with more than 25 years of experience, Baños previously held leadership roles at Pernod Ricard, where she led major brands including Absolut Vodka. She also held marketing leadership roles at General Mills and Cholula Hot Sauce.
Jeremy Fletcher joins Dog Haus as vice president of creative and innovation and will lead brand design, content, creative development and innovation, strengthening consistency across marketing, franchisee communications and guest touchpoints. Fletcher co-led Jersey Mike’s innovation function alongside Field, served as creative director at Legacy Marketing and spent a decade developing and testing hundreds of concepts for major restaurant systems. Across more than two decades, he has shaped creative and strategic platforms spanning the restaurant, lifestyle and fitness industries.
Catalina Uribe joins Dog Haus as vice president of off-premise and logistics and will lead growth across third-party delivery marketplaces and Dog Haus-owned digital channels. Her focus will include discovery, conversion and the ordering experience across delivery, Dog Haus’ mobile app and Haus Rewards. Uribe previously led restaurant platforms from concept through commercialization at Jersey Mike’s and held leadership roles at LATAM Airlines and Avianca Cargo. She holds an MBA from IE Business School and a masters from MIT Supply Chain.
Ramirez brings world-class global advertising and operations experience, including serving on the launch team for the Latino division of Chiat/Day and working out of McCann Erickson Worldwide’s Moscow office on the Eastman Kodak account, where he was part of the team that introduced the brand to Eastern Europe, along with senior brand roles at Sun Microsystems. That combination of global brand building and international operational experience, coupled with his deep institutional knowledge of Dog Haus and longstanding relationships across the franchise system, uniquely positions him to connect franchisee needs with corporate strategy and execution. As chief experience officer, Ramirez will take on a broader cross-functional leadership role centered on franchisee success, business operations and brand maturity, helping ensure the organization’s internal sophistication continues to outpace its rapid expansion and strengthen the area director program.
Field and the expanded marketing leadership team will support the complete customer journey, from positioning, creative development, partnerships and media to the in-restaurant experience, third-party delivery, Dog Haus’ mobile app and Haus Rewards. Its focus will be to make every marketing dollar work harder, increase guest frequency and menu exploration, reengage lapsed guests and introduce new audiences to Dog Haus. Ramirez will amplify that work across the organization by advancing brand stewardship for area director effectiveness and franchisee excellence to ensure the brand’s growth strategy translates into stronger execution throughout the system.
For more information, visit DogHaus.com.
About Dog Haus
Since launching in 2010, Dog Haus has built a fiercely loyal nationwide following. Founded by longtime friends Hagop Giragossian, Quasim Riaz and André Vener, the brand got its start in Pasadena, California, and has since grown to more than 50 locations across the United States. The brand expanded internationally in June 2026 with the opening of its first restaurant in Mexico, establishing Mérida as its first permanent international location and marking the beginning of its global growth strategy.
Known for delivering More Choices. More Flavor., Dog Haus serves chef-driven Smashburgers, signature Dogs & Sausages, Crispy and Grilled Chicken, Shareables, Bad-Ass Breakfast Burritos and craft beverages, all built around premium ingredients and all-natural, humanely raised proteins. Driven by a mission to sustainably feed everyone who walks through its doors, Dog Haus also offers an innovative lineup of plant-based burgers, sausage and chicken creations.
In 2024, the brand welcomed YouTuber and professional boxer Jake Paul as a franchisee and board member. Dog Haus has earned numerous industry honors, including Nation’s Restaurant News’ MenuMasters Award, Fast Casual’s Top 100 Movers and Shakers, and Franchise Times’ Zor Award as a “Top Brand to Buy.” The Dog Haus mobile app, Haus Rewards, brings together Dog Haus and Bad-Ass Breakfast Burritos in one seamless digital ordering and loyalty experience. For more information, visit DogHaus.com or follow Dog Haus on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X.
Contact:
Paul Donahie
Champion
908-239-8679
pdonahie@championmgt.com
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