MIAMI — Vicky Bakery, a family-owned Cuban bakery in south Florida, has named Mauricio Romero as the company’s new chief executive officer. First opened in 1972, Vicky Bakery now operates nearly two dozen franchises across the state, producing baked foods including breads, pastries, pastelitos, croquetas, cakes and more. Mr. Romero will take the place of former CEO Alex Santiago, who will remain on the company’s board of directors.
"I am thrilled to take on this new role with Vicky Bakery as the company has made tremendous strides in truly creating the very best Cuban bakery whose traditions span three generations,” Mr. Romero said. “From the very first moment I stepped inside a Vicky Bakery, I knew right away why we were different, special, and better than anything else out there. Our franchise brand was born out of a family business, and that’s the way it remains. We treat our customers, our franchisees, our team members, and our suppliers like family.”
Mr. Romero joins Vicky Bakery with nearly 40 years of experience in the restaurant franchise world. Most recently, he was fractional CEO for franchise business consulting firm LA EEBI. Earlier, Mr. Romero worked as president of operations at Fransmart, which has launched franchising for brands including Five Guys, QDOBA and The Halal Guys, and invested in brands including Sweetgreen and Cava. Before that, he was the divisional vice president of operations for Five Guys in the Western US and Canada.
“Mauricio brings a wealth of experience to Vicky Bakery, from his background in managing large restaurant groups to scaling multiple franchised businesses and working alongside franchisees,” Mr. Santiago said. “As Vicky Bakery continues on its transformational journey as the fastest growing and most well recognized Cuban bakery chain, Mauricio’s deep understanding of unit level economics and how to meet customer’s needs will help solidify Vicky Bakery as an industry leader while driving profitability across our brand for our amazing network of franchisees.”
