Italian restaurant and food retail group Eataly has appointed Tommaso Brusò as the new CEO of its North American division, according to a report by Restaurant Dive.

Brusò will assume the newly created role on 2 October 2023.

Eataly Group CEO Andrea Cipolloni noted that the North American CEO position has been created to support the company’s expansion plan in the region.

Restaurant Dive quoted Cipolloni as saying: “Tommaso arrives at an important time for the Group and will be instrumental to the development and growth of a market of primary importance for Eataly.

“His role involves close collaboration with the new senior management who have joined the company in recent months.”

As part of this initiative, the company is reportedly planning to open 20 new restaurants in the region over the next five years.

In 2010, the Italian restaurant and retail chain forayed into the North American market by opening its first store in New York.

The brand currently operates nine restaurants in the region that are located across Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas and New York.

In September 2022, European investment company Investindustrial agreed to acquire a 52% stake in Eataly by investing $199.9m.

Eataly’s other stakeholders include the Baffigo / Miroglio family, Eatinvest (Farinetti family) and Clubitaly (Tamburi Investment Partners).