Support

Meet Our Leadership Team

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  George Havadjias

  Co-founder & CEO

  • George Havadjias, the co-founder behind the Farmer Boys brand, is a 40-year restaurant industry veteran. With an unwavering passion for providing exceptional food and a commitment to the community, Havadjias has played a pivotal role in shaping the success and vision of Farmer Boys. Inspired by their upbringing on a family farm in Cyprus, the five Havadjias brothers set out to establish a restaurant that celebrated the richness of American agriculture and offered farm-to-table fresh flavors to their guests. Over the last 40+ years, the brand has grown from its first restaurant in Perris, California, to over 100 fast-causal restaurants throughout California, Nevada and Arizona.

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  Joseph Ortiz

  President & COO

  Joseph Ortiz is a dynamic business leader piloting our brand growth. Ortiz is heavily involved in validating new franchise candidates and fostering great talent, ensuring they are successful operators for our long-term development strategy. Ortiz previously served as vice president of finance & accounting for Farmer Boys, where he was responsible for leading the finance and accounting teams and creating new growth strategies. With more than 17 years of operations and financial experience in the restaurant and food service industry, Ortiz has held various leadership roles with notable brands including BakeMark and CKE Restaurant Holdings.

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  Noah Chillingworth

  Chief Marketing Officer

  Noah Chillingworth joins Farmer Boys® as Chief Marketing Officer, bringing over two decades of invaluable experience in the restaurant industry to the renowned farm-to-table concept. With a distinguished career that includes serving as VP of Marketing at Del Taco for 15 years, where he played a pivotal role in shaping the brand's identity and consumer-facing initiatives, Noah is poised to lead Farmer Boys®' marketing efforts into a new era of growth. His previous roles at Taco Bell and Domino’s Pizza have further honed his expertise in marketing strategy and brand development, making him a standout leader in the industry.

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  John Lucas

  Vice President of Brand and Franchise Development

  John Lucas is an industry veteran with over 35 years of hospitality and restaurant experience. In his role, John ensures Farmer Boys upholds our consistent operational standards and delivers a high-quality, reliable guest experience in every restaurant. Additionally, Lucas oversees all the system’s franchised locations and is responsible for building upon Farmer Boys’ high service standards at those locations. Lucas joined the Farmer Boys team in 2017 as a franchise business consultant and now serves as the Vice President of Brand and Franchise Development.

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  Kristy Foster

  Vice President, Purchasing and Food Safety

  With over 20 years of collective Farmer Boys experience, Kristy Foster oversees our food sourcing and supply distribution with local vendors, ensuring supreme quality and impeccable service. Embracing our hometown farmer ethics, Foster monitors our food safety initiatives to keep our guests happy and safe in the best environment possible when enjoying our delicious food. Foster works directly with our franchisees to initiate introductions with our third-party vendors and provide guidance through the setup process.

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  Michael Berumen

  Senior Director of Operations and Operations Services

  Michael Berumen is a seasoned restaurant operations executive, currently serving as the Sr. Director of Operations and Operations Services for Farmer Boys. With over three decades of industry experience, Berumen has held leadership positions at Mimi's Cafe, Ruby's Diner, and now Farmer Boys, where he is responsible for overseeing 28 restaurant locations and five area managers. In his current role, Berumen is focused on developing and managing breakthrough restaurant operations programs, as well as leading the brand's quality assurance program.

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  Glen Rutter

  Senior Director of Learning & Development

  Glen Rutter is an accomplished HR and Learning & Development professional with over 30 years of experience in the restaurant industry. In his role as senior director of learning & development, Rutter oversees all manager and crew new hire training, leadership training, and ongoing support needed for new menu item initiatives. Rutter's career began in operations as a server and has since worked his way up the ranks, holding various HR and L&D roles for four national dining chains and two regional fast-casual brands.

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  Daisy Alvarez

  Senior Director of Marketing

  Daisy Alvarez is a dedicated marketing professional who has been with our brand since June 2007. Alvarez began her career with Farmer Boys as a cashier before her promotion to store manager. Her passion for marketing led her to transition to a marketing coordinator role after completing her degree at California State University, San Bernardino. Alvarez currently serves as the Senior Director of Marketing, supervising the execution of marketing plans for product launches, new restaurant grand openings and loyalty initiatives.

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  Gisel Villeda

  Vice President of Human Resources

  Gisel Villeda brings extensive expertise in human resources to her role as Vice President of Human Resources at Farmer Boys. With a career spanning 20+ years in the retail and food service industries, Gisel has held pivotal roles such as Human Resources Director at WinCo Foods and District Human Resources Leader at Food4Less/FoodsCo. Her strategic acumen and commitment to team member development, recruitment, and retention efforts have been instrumental in driving HR initiatives at Farmer Boys. Gisel's dedication to fostering a positive work environment through programs such as team member appreciation, wellness, and scholarships further underscores her invaluable contribution to the Farmer Boys team.