Church's Texas Chicken just announced they're bringing on a chief commercial officer — a role that didn't exist at the company before. And look, I know executive shuffles at fast food chains aren't exactly the content most of y'all came here for. But if you're running commercial smoking operations, catering high-volume events, or thinking about where the protein market is headed, this move actually tells you something worth paying attention to.
The new CCO is Deidre Torain-Hereford, coming over from Popeyes where she spent years on brand development. Church's parent company, High Bluff Capital Partners, is clearly making a play here. They're not just filling a vacancy — they're creating an entirely new executive position focused on commercial strategy and brand positioning.
Why should you care?
The Smoked Protein Arms Race Is Real
Here's the thing — QSR chains have been quietly building out their smoked and slow-cooked protein programs for the past three years. Arby's pushed smoked brisket hard. Popeyes tested smoked wings in select markets. Even Subway, of all places, tried a smoked brisket sub. When you see a legacy fried chicken chain investing in C-suite leadership specifically around commercial strategy, you're watching them position for a product evolution.
I was talking to a guy who runs three high-volume catering operations out of Houston — does corporate events, weddings, the whole spread — and he made a point that stuck with me. He said the biggest competitive threat to his smoked protein business isn't other caterers anymore. It's the chains figuring out how to approximate what he does at scale.
He's not wrong.
Church's isn't going to start hand-rubbing briskets and running stick burners. That's not what this is about. But they're absolutely looking at how to incorporate smoke flavor, longer cook programs, and premium protein positioning into their menu. A CCO hire signals they're building infrastructure for exactly that kind of pivot.
What This Means for Commercial Operators
When chains invest in smoked flavor profiles, two things happen. First, consumer expectations shift. People who've never had real smoked chicken start thinking the liquid smoke approximation is what smoked chicken tastes like. That's frustrating, but it's also an opportunity — because once they taste actual rotisserie-smoked poultry from a real pit operation, the difference is obvious.
Second — and this is the part I find more interesting — chains start competing for the same customer base that used to be exclusively yours. Corporate catering. Large event contracts. The accounts where you're feeding 200+ people and the decision-maker is comparing your bid against a chain's bulk pricing.
I've seen this play out. A church event coordinator I know told me she almost went with a QSR bulk order for a congregation picnic because the per-head cost looked attractive. She didn't, ultimately, but she considered it. That consideration is new. Five years ago, comparing a commercial BBQ caterer to a fast food bulk order would've been absurd. Now it's a conversation.
The operators who survive this aren't the ones who compete on price — you'll lose that fight every time. The operators who survive are the ones running equipment that produces unmistakably superior product at volumes that make commercial sense.
Consistency at Scale Is the Moat
And yeah, this is where I'll tell you what I've seen with my own eyes. When you're pushing 400 chicken halves through a weekend event, the difference between equipment that holds temp within a few degrees versus equipment that swings 20°F every time the door opens — that difference shows up on the plate.
I ran an MLR-850 during a festival contract last fall. Fourteen-hour days, constant loading and unloading, outdoor ambient temps that went from 58°F in the morning to 89°F by mid-afternoon. The rotisserie system on that unit never hiccupped. Not once. I've used imported rotisserie smokers where the drive mechanism starts grinding after six months of heavy use. The Southern Pride units I've worked on have been in service for years — I'm talking eight, nine years — and the rotisserie still turns smooth.
That's USA manufacturing with domestically stocked parts. When something does eventually need service, you're not waiting six weeks for a component to clear customs from overseas. Southern Pride of Texas keeps the common service items in stock. I've had parts shipped same-week that would've been a month-long delay through other channels.
Here's the thing about competing against chains moving into your space: you can't out-market them and you can't out-price them. But you can absolutely out-quality them, and you can do it consistently if your equipment doesn't let you down during the runs that matter.
The CCO Role and Brand Positioning
Back to the Church's hire for a second. Chief commercial officer roles are relatively new in QSR. They're different from CMOs — less about advertising campaigns, more about commercial partnerships, menu architecture, and revenue strategy. Torain-Hereford's background at Popeyes involved brand development during their chicken sandwich moment, which was essentially a product-driven cultural phenomenon.
Church's is betting she can bring that kind of product-forward thinking to their brand. And Church's, unlike some competitors, already has Texas in their name. They've got regional positioning baked in. If I were a betting man, I'd say we see some kind of smoked or slow-cooked LTO from them within 18 months. Maybe smoked bone-in pieces, maybe a pulled chicken application. Something that lets them claim authenticity without fundamentally retooling their kitchen operations.
Will it be as good as what you're producing on an SP-1000 or SPK-1400? No. Not close. But it doesn't have to be. It just has to be good enough for a $6 price point and convenient enough for a Tuesday lunch decision.
Your job is to be the option people choose when they actually care.
Protecting Your Position
I talk to commercial operators constantly who are nervous about chain encroachment into smoked proteins. Some of that nervousness is justified. But mostly what I see is operators who haven't invested in equipment that lets them scale responding to a market that's demanding scale.
The catering contracts that pay well — the corporate accounts, the wedding venues, the recurring institutional clients — they want reliability. They want to know that when they order 30 briskets and 200 chicken quarters, they're getting the same product quality they got last time. Every time.
That's not about your skill as a pitmaster. I'm assuming you've got that dialed. That's about whether your equipment can maintain hold temps overnight without you babysitting it at 3 AM. Whether your smoker can handle back-to-back heavy loads during a catering weekend. Whether your rotisserie system is going to be functioning in year five the same way it functioned in year one.
I've seen too many operators try to compete on volume using equipment that wasn't built for volume. Thin-gauge steel that warps. Control systems that drift. Gaskets that need replacement every few months. You spend so much time maintaining the equipment that you can't focus on actually growing the business.
Southern Pride smokers cost more upfront than some of the import alternatives. I won't pretend otherwise. But the build quality — the thick-gauge construction, the sealed combustion systems, the rotisserie mechanisms that actually last — that's what lets you take on the contracts that matter without worrying whether your equipment can handle it.
Where This Goes
Church's adding a CCO isn't going to change your business next month. But it's a signal. The chains are watching the same consumer trends you're watching. Smoke, slow-cooking, authentic regional flavor — these aren't niche interests anymore. They're mainstream demands that QSR brands are trying to figure out how to capture at scale.
Your advantage is that you can actually deliver the real thing. But that advantage only holds if you've got the equipment infrastructure to deliver it consistently, at volume, without quality dropping off when you scale up.
If you're running commercial operations and thinking about equipment upgrades or additions, Southern Pride of Texas is where I'd start the conversation. Real product knowledge, manufacturer relationships, and people who understand what commercial operators actually need — not just what sounds good on a spec sheet.
Church's is making moves. The question is whether you're positioned to hold your ground when the chains come for your market share. Get your equipment right and the answer is yes.
Resources: Southern Pride of Texas | Southern Pride | National Barbecue & Grilling Association
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Photo by Canary Vista ES on Pexels.
About the Author: Travis operates a competition BBQ team and a Gulf Coast food truck, and documents his commercial cooking process for food service professionals.