Einstein Bros. Bagels is adding leadership capacity behind its expansion plans. The chain announced three executive appointments September 15 as it prepares to open 300 bakeries over the next three years. Einstein’s announcement

Patrick Waldron is chief development officer, Shawna Fehrman-Lee is chief people officer and Will Evans is chief financial officer. Together, their responsibilities cover finding and developing locations, staffing the growing business and overseeing its finances.

Waldron brings experience from Amazon, Whole Foods Market and JLL. Fehrman-Lee previously led people operations across international markets at HelloFresh. Evans most recently served as CFO of Alvarado Restaurant Nation, after earlier roles that included La Colombe and Zoës Kitchen.

The growth ambition predates the appointments. In June, Einstein announced plans for more than 300 additional U.S. bakeries by 2030, which would take the brand from more than 700 locations to more than 1,000. June growth announcement

Its “Elevate the Morning” store design is part of that expansion. The company has put the bagel display at the center of the customer experience and designed the layout to accommodate both in-store visits and digital pickups. Store-design announcement

The design addresses a familiar morning challenge: customers arriving to browse and order share the counter area with people who want to collect a prepaid breakfast and leave. Giving each group a clear path can make the same square footage easier to use.

The executive hires address a different part of the same growth task. Opening hundreds of bakeries requires more than available real estate. Each location needs a team, a workable budget and a consistent operating routine.

For customers, the expansion could bring more access to the brand and a different experience inside newer stores. For Einstein, the next measure of progress will be how many of those planned bakeries actually open and how well they serve their morning traffic.

Image: Preliminary rendering of Einstein Bros. Bagels’ “Elevate the Morning” interior, supplied with the company’s September 2025 design announcement. Courtesy of Einstein Bros. Bagels / Proof PR. This is a design rendering, not a photograph of a completed bakery.