It didn’t take much convincing to get us to throw a sweet surprise sendoff for ice cream lover John Rose, who’s been our lease management guy for six years. Midsummer, we threw John his very own ice cream social. John has been working closely with Desert de Oro Foods (DDO) leadership on how best to phase out of his important role as he moves eastward to Alabama and nears retirement.

For the time being, he will continue to support DDO’s development team part-time while also venturing into real estate brokerage and entitlement for a new golf course community in Mobile, AL (where he plans to build a home).

Golf is what brought John to Scottsdale, AZ, he says, and now the same passion will lead him one step closer to retirement!

A Cross-Country Career

John has touched countless restaurant brands throughout his career, moving all over the country as employers or recruiters prioritized different markets and QSR brands where his experience would prove beneficial: Taco Bell, Famous Dave’s, Domino’s, Papa Murphy’s, Chik-fil-A, Pizza Hut, KFC, White Castle, Texas Roadhouse, Papa Johns.

Equally interesting, his career started at the country’s first Domino’s. Located across the street from his middle school in Michigan, John says he was paid a penny a piece to fold pizza boxes. Eventually, he would work his way up the ranks at the now global pizza brand becoming a manager; restaurant supervisor; and post-college, the West Coast Development Director (when there were just a couple hundred locations).

It wasn’t long before word of John’s talent got out. “I was recruited away by the Chief Development Officer at Papa John’s,” he recounts. There, he spent 10 years before being recruited again.

John was one of eight guys involved in expanding the then new BBQ concept Famous Dave’s into Minnesota. “It was the perfect place to raise a family,” he admits of his 20 years living and working in Eden Prairie, MN.

“I am proud of helping dozens of franchisees realize their goals.”

-John Rose, DDO Lease Manager

John next launched a restaurant consulting business, where he continued to work with well known brands like Texas Roadhouse, White Castle and Chik-fil-A but the timing was terrible! His firm became a casualty of the 2008 market crash.

So, John returned to corporate life, heading up real estate for the take-and-bake pizza company Papa Murphy’s, eventually moving to Phoenix to work remotely. When Papa Murphy’s was bought out by a franchising company boasting a handful of other brands, his job was secure – until the pandemic. Then without warning, the new owner shut down the entire development department for all of its brands!

“I sat for one day thinking maybe I’d retired,” John says of the shock.

Stars Align: The DDO Chapter

But John wouldn’t get off that easy! The next day, he says, DDO Co-founder Mark Peterson called.

“[Mark] had received guidance that his company needed real estate support,” John shares.

“It seemed to me that it was designed – like stars aligned – to have my experience support his goals of fixing the Pizza Hut business in real estate and excess property.” 

“It’s been wonderful to work with a family that is so caring,” John says of Mark and sister, Krystal Burge, also DDO Co-founder. “They’re just good people.” 

And the rest is old news! Since joining DDO, John’s focus has been lease renewals and excess property management for our four restaurant brands. With around 350 leases companywide to review and manage, what started as five renewals a year has grown to 25 to 30!

John has been an invaluable asset, having initiated and reviewed thousands of restaurant leases and properties over the course of his career.

“When I was hired, Mark said, ‘I want you to support our operators here and help set them up for success,’” John says. “That’s what I’d like to continue doing.”

Now that our lease expert readies for the next chapter in the book of John Rose, he expresses gratitude for how he’s been treated during the transition.

“They just couldn’t have been more supportive and accommodating,” he says of our senior leadership team and their level of trust in him as he moves away but remains connected to the company.

It goes both ways, John! We’re thankful for the ways you’ve made us stronger. We wish John the best of luck as we continue the transition.