Don Fox is a restaurant industry veteran with 39 years of experience, predominately in the QSR and Fast Casual segments. His first job was scrubbing pots and pans at the dish sink of a local Italian restaurant in NJ. He began his food service management career in 1976 with Six Flags amusement parks; after two years, he advanced to the position of district manager. In 1980, he began a 23 year career with Burger King Corporation, which included a variety of assignments in R&amp;D and field operations. Don joined Firehouse Subs in 2003 as Director of Franchise Compliance, rose to the position of COO in early 2005, and became CEO in December of 2009. Under his leadership, the brand has grown to over 670 restaurants in 36 states and Puerto Rico. He is a frequent speaker and panelist at numerous industry conferences and universities. In 2011, he was named by Nation's Restaurant News as one of the top ten executives to watch, and received the MUFSO Golden Chain Award for his accomplishments. At the 2011 MUFSO conference, he was awarded the prestigious Operator of the Year award. In 2013, he became a member of the National Restaurant Association's Board of Directors, and was recently named one of this year's Silver Plate Award recipients. In 2013, he was named the #1 executive in the Fast Casual segment by FastCasual.com