McDonald’s has appointed Patrick Gerber as chief restaurant officer to lead its domestic operations function, effective September 1. 

Gerber will join the senior leadership team in the US and report to Skye Anderson, who was appointed president of McDonald’s US earlier this month.

This leadership change comes as the company has reported continued momentum across its business in the second quarter.

Recently appointed as SVP and chief restaurant executive in the UK and Ireland division, Gerber’s career has spanned several executive roles, including senior director of national operations and field VP for the eastern region in McDonald’s Canada.

Starting his journey with the company as a crew member at a restaurant in Switzerland, Gerber has since accumulated over 25 years of experience in the restaurant industry.

The leadership adjustment comes as the corporation advances its ‘McDonald’s Next’ strategy, an initiative focused on improving food quality, hospitality, and customer service standards. 

Gerber will be responsible for converting the corporation’s strategies into daily operational execution across the domestic restaurant network.

“His experience in the system makes him uniquely suited to lead our operations function at a critical time,” said Anderson. “He knows first-hand how restaurants run and what it takes to get it right for restaurant teams and customers alike.”

In addition, he will oversee the company’s field operations and tighten the alignment between corporate priorities and store-level execution to address lower customer satisfaction rates.