KEVIN NOVOBILSKI
Lewisburg
Summary
Results-driven leader with expertise in operational excellence and team development. Translates brand objectives into actionable strategies, fostering high performance across teams and achieving significant growth. Develops District Managers and General Managers through targeted succession planning, ensuring continuity and future success. Cultivates trust and loyalty within teams, contributing to high retention rates in the market.
Overview
24
24
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
DIRECTOR OF RETAIL OPERATIONS
PANERA BREAD, LLC.
01.2019 - Current
- Led market of 11 cafes in Central Pennsylvania, managing budget of over 35 million in annual revenue to maximize profitability.
- Leads region with three Certified Bakery training cafes. Delivering training and development to support managers throughout Central Pa and Maryland.
- Market recognition for Top Quartile results on Operational Balanced scorecard. Achieving positive KPIs Sales 1% YoY, Guest Experience positive 3% YoY, resulting in over 22% EBITDA annually.
- 2025 Market Achieved #31 on Balanced scorecard out of #231 Company and Franchised Markets.
- Maintained talent and succession planning, achieving 85% internal promotion rate through ongoing development initiatives.
- Uses Power Bi, Period Business Reviews, 1-1s, and Guest Retail Health diagnostics to drive performance management.
- Recognized by Sr. Leadership for innovative engagement creating SME working groups within the market to achieve peer to peer accountability.
- Proactive partner utilizing cross-functionally with market and region-level support to support operations Ensures that the right processes and behaviors are practiced by each cafe's management team to deliver on the market's established goals.
- February 2026 Market facilitated training for external Director of Operations to enhance operational skills.
- Promoted two GMs to Operating Partner in 2025 on achieving KPI targets to qualify. Lowest Trailing Twelve Month GM TTO in fiscal years 2024 & 2025.
- Owns market's People strategy conducting monthly people meetings to keep development on track.
- Currently maintains a pipeline of talent to support growth and talent with three ready now AGM to GM promotions. Identified and developed a Director to Retail Operations leadership backfill.
- Oversaw compliance with operational standards, policies, and federal/state laws, achieving highest brand audit scores among 138 company markets with average score of 88.5%.
Regional Manager
AMERICAN DINING CREATIONS
01.2018 - 01.2019
- Oversaw Catering Hub, delivering exceptional service to several hundred customers on a consistent basis.
- Managed 17 dining accounts across Central Pennsylvania, ensuring client satisfaction and operational efficiency.
- Hired Chef, sous Chef, and Cooks to develop weekly menus serving employees.
- Experienced in Contract dining services. Negotiations, and signing contracts.
Regional Director of Operations
RUBY TUESDAY
01.2002 - 01.2017
- Formulated and executed quarterly plans increasing sales and bottom-line profits as well as achieving KPIs. Aligned district with company initiatives through strategic planning, resulting in improving guest satisfaction scores by over 20% year over year. Aligning food margins waste by exceeding company goal by 75 bps.
- Led 17 restaurants with team of 46 managers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey leveraging multi-unit management and human resource skills. Managed and approved projects to maintain highest level of quality at each facility.
- Directed focus on HEART recovery with all guests (Hear, Empathize, Apologize, Recover and Thank) that resulted in top quartile guest satisfaction scores, food and labor budgets and overall cash-flow for fiscal year 2017. Integrated training best practice booklet that enhanced training guides for service teams.
- Established winning culture by developing managers through stretch assignments and cross-training, achieving zero restaurant management turnover for 7 years.
- Conducted weekly meetings with general managers ensuring company initiatives were executed.
- Enhanced company training by testing trainers every 6 months and conducting monthly trainer meetings.
- Delivered Top quartile results for District, Director of the Year in 2012, 2014.
Education
Bachelor of Science (BS) - Business - Human Resource Management
Penn State Worthington Scranton
Minneapolis, MNSkills
- Operations Leadership
- Retail Compliance
- Change Implementation
- Performance Management
- Strategic planning
- Team leadership
- Employee Relations Management
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Employee training
Certification
- State Certified Serve Safe
- State Certified Instructor / Proctor Serve Safe
Timeline
DIRECTOR OF RETAIL OPERATIONS
PANERA BREAD, LLC.
01.2019 - Current
Regional Manager
AMERICAN DINING CREATIONS
01.2018 - 01.2019
Regional Director of Operations
RUBY TUESDAY
01.2002 - 01.2017
Bachelor of Science (BS) - Business - Human Resource Management
Penn State Worthington Scranton