The women of Which Wich on success, sisterhood and having it all

Few people leave behind successful careers in law to work in the restaurant industry, but that's the path that two executives at Which Wich, an American fast casual restaurant specializing in sandwiches and salads, took.

Co-Founder & Executive Vice President Courtney Sinelli was a lawyer for eight years before giving her full attention to the now 400-unit brand that she and husband, Jeff Sinelli, founded 15 years ago. Oddly enough, Cherry Hearn, who took over last month as Which Wich's president, has a similar background.

"When I went to law school, I thought I wanted to specialize in environmental law," said Hearn, who started her Which Wich journey several years ago as an outside attorney working with the Sinellis on a trademark infringement case.

Shortly after winning the case, she became one of the brand's first franchisees, opening its eighth location in Austin and, eventually, two more. She sold them in 2012, however, to join Which Wich as general counsel — a position she held until she was promoted to president. 

"What I have learned in life so far is that great rewards can come with a flexible approach to what we think our 'plans' are and that walking through doors that open themselves to you — even when you aren't entirely sure of where that journey will lead you — can take you to places you never imagined," she said in an interview with FastCasual.

Courtney Sinelli would probably agree, considering that during the early days of Which Wich, she was not only helping Jeff with the business but also supporting them both as a freelance magazine writer and attorney.

"Eventually, as the business grew, it was an 'all hands needed on deck' situation," she said. "There was so much work to be done, and no one is going to care as much or work as hard as we do. The busier we were, the more I had to eventually leave other things behind."

And it wasn't a tough choice.

"I prefer journalism over legal writing, so the legal work was the first to go," said Sinelli who now has two daughters with Jeff. "It wasn't until much later once we had our second daughter that I stopped freelance writing. I used to stay up writing super late into the night before she came along, but once I had a three-year-old and a baby, I needed all the sleep I could get. Now I am back to staying up late again, but it is all restaurant work all the time."

Still, Sinelli said her law experience helped to prepare her for her role as a restaurateur.

"Although I was capable of doing that sort of work successfully, it was certainly not something that I found joy in very often," she said. "However, I do use the skills that I learned every single day both in business and in life, so it is not an education that went to waste. I am really proud of myself for graduating from one of the best law schools in the country, and for the work I did as an attorney."

Hearn is also putting her past experiences to work. Being a former franchisee taught her what it takes to provide every guest with a great experience. 

"This means perfectly prepared food, a fun and energetic environment, and memorable hospitality," she said. "It is not easy, and it takes day-in-and-day-out commitment at all levels. Few restaurant owners would say that they have enough hours in the day, so it is critically important that the fundamentals are always at the forefront and that each and every one of our franchise partners — and their crews — has the motivation, tools and training to be excellent at all levels.

Finding ways to help franchisees preserve their profitability is another top priority, which is why she's creating a profitability task force to identify opportunities for improvement.

"Naturally, every brand has milestones that are measured and celebrated by the corporate team," she said. "But in my role as president, I see success each and every time I talk to or hear from a franchisee that is excited about one of their own milestones — whether it is a sales goal, opening that second store, or receiving a great guest accolade. Success as a brand is doing everything we can to ensure that our franchisees are realizing their goals."

Why Which Wich's leadership team is 50% female

That's a lot of pressure, but the Which Wich leadership team, which is 50% female and includes Chief Communications Officer Hala Habal and Chief Strategy Officer Amanda Clayton, is committed to the same goal. Another shared passion the four women have is promoting diversity within their organization. 

"As a mother of two daughters, it's very important for me to set an example of what is possible in whatever career path they may choose and to show them examples of women succeeding and leading in business," Habal said in an interview with FastCasual. "It's so valuable to have strong female representation on our leadership team at Which Wich and to work in an environment that promotes collaboration and a variety of viewpoints as we work toward a common goal. I'm proud of not just the fact that we have a strong female presence on the leadership team, but that we have brilliant and motivated people on this team that energize me to come to work every day."

Sinelli said the company has been known for its diversity since day one and has always hired based on who is the best person for the job, male or female.

"It just so happens that the right person has often been female," she said. "In order to continually evolve in a competitive industry, and in the very competitive sandwich segment, it's been vital for us to gather diverse viewpoints to challenge ourselves and the Which Wich model."

Clatyon is proud to work within a balanced leadership team.

"Male or female, we all have varied backgrounds and experiences which allows each of us to bring our unique point of view that guides us as we work on important initiatives for the brand," she said. "Because there is such a mutual respect for each other as professionals, our female voices are heard just as loudly as our male counterparts. It's refreshing to work for ownership that values this balance and supports a family-friendly culture."

Sinelli echoed that sentiment saying that a lot of the brand's success can be attributed to its commitment to an environment where diverse viewpoints are encouraged. 

"In many situations, a woman is the decision maker in the family — so having a strong group of not just women, but moms, who understand what is important to them and their children when choosing a restaurant is extremely valuable in driving the Which Wich brand forward," she said.

Women rising to the top

Although traditionally the restaurant industry has been male-dominated, Habal said she's noticed a much stronger representation of women these days.

"In general, I think that more women are pursuing careers within the industry, and I also believe that a stronger mix of backgrounds and perspectives leads to a stronger overall company," she said. 

Sinelli agreed that the industry has evolved to allow women to have a stronger voice and also to have both a successful career and family. 

"Like many women today, I'm able to juggle the fulfillment of my role as EVP at Which Wich with being present and very involved in my daughters' lives," she said. "Our generation is also benefiting from strong female role models who came before and showed a pathway that inspired many of us to pursue careers in this industry that 50 years ago may not have been possible.

Hearn said she's also seen a lot of changes and not only in the restaurant industry. 

"Look at how many women were elected into political office last fall across the country," she said. "Women I know that are 10+ years younger than me — across professions and industries — had a greatly increased likelihood of starting their careers at a time when they had female role models to look to for examples of women in leadership. That was largely not the case for those of us that entered our professions in the '70s and '80s."

Because of this shift, Hearn said, women today don't need to think twice about what career field to enter, and they do it with the full expectation of contributing their intellect and influence to shape the organizations they are in. 

"As these women mature in their professions and organizations, they are right there at the table in ever-increasing numbers with their male colleagues," she said.

The most important thing the industry can keep doing is to create cultures that reward hard work and commitment to the brand's mission. 

"We live in a world now where there is stronger opportunity for women to lead restaurant companies than ever before, so it's important to not only create a model that is attractive to those rising stars, but one that continues to nurture and develop stars already within your company," Sinelli said.

Throughout her 20 years in the industry, Clayton said she was lucky enough to work for several talented female leaders, who taught her to keep learning and growing in her professional career. 

"I have loved watching women in the industry rise into president roles," she said. "I attribute it to their hard work, insights from working in various levels of the industry, and their ability to build strong teams and empower them. These pioneer women have held their roles with the utmost integrity and success, which helps pave the way for others." 

It's less now about kicking down the door as it is understanding that the door is open to women, Sinelli said.

"There are many tremendously talented and skilled women building careers in the industry, and restaurant companies need to demonstrate a continued investment in people to maintain and grow a strong leadership team," she said.