Former Atlanta exec named Johnny Rockets CFO

Chad Hope, a restaurant franchise executive who got his start in Atlanta, was named chief financial officer of the Aliso Viejo, Calif.-based Johnny Rockets restaurant chain.

Johnny Rockets, a 1950s-themed restaurant business, has more than 300 locations across the nation, including several in metro Atlanta, and in 31 other countries.

Hope, an Auburn University graduate, began his career at Ernst & Young in Atlanta, eventually working in the financial planning company’s banking and capital markets operation. He then joined the Atlanta-based Fiesta Brands restaurant company as controller and later Atlanta-based Focus Brands, the parent of Cinnabon, Moe’s Southwest Grill and other brands, as international controller.