Mountain Mike’s Pizza has appointed Sheena Dougher as chief marketing officer, bringing more than 15 years of restaurant marketing experience to the Irvine-based pizza chain. Dougher joins the company with a background spanning brand strategy, advertising, media, public relations and social media, including nearly a decade at Jack in the Box. During her time there, she helped lead “The Return of Mark Hamill,” a campaign that earned an Effie Award in 2023.
In her new role, Dougher will oversee Mountain Mike’s marketing strategy and activations as the franchise system looks to strengthen brand awareness, deepen community connections and support continued expansion. Her responsibilities will include developing initiatives designed to reach new customers and markets while helping franchisees generate greater visibility and sales. The appointment comes as Mountain Mike’s approaches its 50th anniversary and continues to expand its footprint across the United States.
Dougher’s experience includes leadership across several restaurant brands and a range of marketing disciplines. Before joining Mountain Mike’s, she served as vice president of brand marketing at Jack in the Box, where her responsibilities included public relations, social media, brand content, paid media and regional marketing. Earlier positions with Rubio’s Restaurants, Garden Fresh Restaurants and Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza gave her additional experience in restaurant marketing and consumer engagement.
Mountain Mike’s CEO Jim Metevier said Dougher brings the combination of strategic thinking and restaurant marketing experience the company needs as it enters its next stage of development. Her focus will include reinforcing the qualities that distinguish Mountain Mike’s while finding new ways to connect the brand with customers and communities. That balance between broader brand strategy and local market relevance is particularly important for a franchise system operating across multiple regions.
Consistent digital communication can also play a role as franchise brands build awareness across increasingly diverse markets. Gorilla Dash offers a Social Media feature that helps franchisors coordinate social engagement and maintain organized communication across their franchise networks. For growing systems, keeping messaging connected across locations can complement broader marketing efforts while allowing individual markets to maintain a local presence.
Dougher’s appointment gives Mountain Mike’s a marketing leader with experience developing restaurant brands and managing campaigns across multiple channels. Her immediate challenge will be translating that experience into a strategy that strengthens the company’s identity, supports franchisees and introduces Mountain Mike’s to more customers as the chain continues its expansion.
