Dog Haus has added two longtime Jersey Mike’s franchisees to its C-suite, with both signing a combined 50-unit development deal and taking equity stakes in the franchise brand. The appointments come as the gourmet hot dog and sausage chain reports average unit volumes climbing from approximately $1.6 million to $1.9 million under CEO Michael Montagano, who joined in 2023.
Dog Haus operates 60 restaurants across 12 states, serving gourmet hot dogs, sausages, and burgers on King’s Hawaiian rolls through a fast-casual format. The Pasadena, California-based brand has been focused on multi-unit operator recruitment and unit-level performance improvement since Montagano took over as chief executive. The two new C-suite hires and their associated development commitments were announced May 28, 2026.
Two Jersey Mike’s Veterans Join the Leadership Team
Chris Rigassio, who has built and operated 51 Jersey Mike’s and 9 Wingstop locations, joins Dog Haus as president and chief development officer. Garen Khodaverdian, a Jersey Mike’s operator with a portfolio of 12 units, joins as chief operating officer. Khodaverdian is in the process of divesting his Jersey Mike’s locations to commit full-time to the role. Both took equity stakes in the brand alongside their 50-unit development commitment. The appointments mark a transition toward operator-led executive leadership at a company that has historically been run by its founding team and outside management hires.
An Equity-Sharing Model Designed Around Franchisee Alignment
Montagano has described the brand’s approach as a deliberate inversion of the conventional franchisor-franchisee dynamic. “We’re kind of turning the franchise model upside down, because I think what franchisors are missing is a much closer relationship with their franchisees,” notes Michael Montagano, CEO of Dog Haus. Alongside the C-suite hires, Dog Haus has launched an area director program that offers equity participation to qualified multi-unit operators. Franchisees from Dave’s Hot Chicken and Tropical Smoothie Cafe have already signed on as area directors. The program positions development partners as stakeholders rather than pure territory developers, a structure that has gained traction across several fast-growing franchise brands seeking to attract experienced operators with proven track records at competing systems.
AUV Growth and the National Expansion Push
The brand’s average unit volume has risen from approximately $1.6 million to $1.9 million since Montagano joined, a trajectory the company has cited in its recruitment of new franchisees and development partners. The 50-unit commitment from Rigassio and Khodaverdian alone would represent a substantial increase relative to Dog Haus’s current system size of 60 locations if executed over the standard development timeline. The brand’s national expansion push targets markets beyond its current 12-state footprint. The pace at which the new C-suite leadership converts operator relationships into signed franchise agreements will be a key factor in whether the expansion target translates into opened units over the next several years.
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