Foodservice veteran leaves her Brinker post to lead Cosi effective Jan. 1

Fast-casual concept Cosi named restaurant industry veteran Carin Stutz its president and chief executive officer effective Jan. 1. Stutz comes to Cosi from Brinker, where she was president of global business development, leading all aspects of franchise development and operations for 240 Chili's and Maggiano's restaurants.

Prior to joining Brinker, Stutz was executive vice president of operations for Applebee's International, Inc. Her other foodservice experience includes working for Wendy's International, Sodexo, U.S.A., and NutriSystem, Inc.