Einstein Noah Restaurant Group Names Jeff Keune Vice President of Marketing, Selects Y&R Chicago as Agency of Record

LAKEWOOD, Colo., March 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, Inc., a leader in the quick-casual restaurant industry, announced today that it has named foodservice veteran Jeff Keune to the new position of vice president of marketing and formed a partnership with Y&R Chicago as agency of record.

Keune most recently was vice president of daypart development at Wendy's/Arby's Group, Inc., where he held various marketing responsibilities during the past nine years. Keune has an MBA degree from Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University and a bachelor degree from Northwestern University.

As vice president of marketing, Keune will be responsible for leading and executing key marketing initiatives and will have overall responsibility for product management and the marketing calendar. He will report to James O'Reilly, chief concept officer for Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, Inc.

"As an experienced and innovative marketing professional, Jeff is a welcome addition to our team," O'Reilly said. "With his hiring we are building on the momentum we have gained in driving transactions and increasing awareness for our brands. We are also increasing our focus on all three of our brands (Einstein Bros. Bagels, Noah's New York Bagels, and Manhattan Bagel) as we continue to leverage franchising and licensing as a growth strategy.

In conjunction with Keune's appointment to lead marketing initiatives, Y&R Chicago was named agency of record for Einstein Noah Restaurant Group and will be responsible for creative, digital and media campaigns. Y&R was chosen in a bid process involving three other agencies.

"We were impressed with the integrated ideas Y&R delivered, both on and offline," O'Reilly said. "Creative and media were seamless, including traditional, digital and social marketing initiatives."

In addition to its world famous bagels, Einstein Bros. offers a diverse menu including signature sandwiches, fresh baked breads, home-style soups, tempting sweets, and artisan roasted coffee.

Einstein Noah Restaurant Group has more than 680 locations in 38 states. Einstein Bros. Bagels was named one of the Top 10 Healthiest Restaurant Chains by Health Magazine in 2009 and recently placed eighth in Fast Casual's annual Top 100 Movers and Shakers report.

About Einstein Noah Restaurant Group

Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, Inc. is a leading company in the quick casual restaurant industry that operates and licenses locations primarily under the Einstein Bros.® and Noah's New York Bagels® brands and primarily franchises locations under the Manhattan Bagel brand. The company's retail system consists of more than 600 restaurants in 36 states and the District of Columbia. It also operates a dough production facility. The company's stock is traded on the NASDAQ under the symbol BAGL. Visit www.einsteinnoah.com for additional information. For information about franchise opportunities, contact Kevin Kruse at [email protected].

Contact: Gregg Cebrzynski; 847-945-1300 ext. 224; [email protected]

SOURCE Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, Inc.