While employed in a corporate role at Starbucks, Eric Wyatt opened 150 locations in three years for the coffee shop giant.

As the first CEO of Wilmington-based Clean Eatz, Wyatt is building on that experience with a focus on expansion, he said in a recent interview.

“We need to go from here to there, and that is done through scale and organization,” Wyatt said. “This is an opportunity to take a young brand and organization to the next level.”

Don and Evonne Varady opened Clean Eatz on Racine Drive in Wilmington in 2013, and two years later, began franchising the business, which is part restaurant and part meals plan program. Now, they have 108 locations throughout 23 states, and they recently opened a headquarters and support center on Oleander Drive.

Having been “blessed to have mentors and leaders take me under their wings,” Wyatt said he feels leading Clean Eatz is his chance to pay it forward. He credits Don and Evonne as “folks who are incredibly passionate to their mission” and feels “a responsibility to grow and develop that brand with those leaders.”

Wyatt said he wants to scale growth within the franchise community because he believes that process is the most effective in “the quest for operational excellence.”

“Don and Evonne are inspiring and wonderful people,” Wyatt said. “It was a nice combination for me in recognizing their quest to take this brand to the next level and pay that forward with things I have learned in my experience through operations and leadership.”

After selling Yellow Pages ads out of college, Wyatt “cut his teeth” at Mobil Oil Corp. and within Mobil Mart franchising. Wyatt said he put the first Taco Bell Express in Mobil Marts, which led him to work for Taco Bell for 10 years. Then he moved to Starbucks, where he grew from director to regional vice president to vice president of global store operations services.

Next, after two years at Bath & Body Works, Wyatt served as operating partner at the Panera Bread Franchise System before he moved to Boston Market as COO, where he then worked as CEO until he landed in operations management as a senior vice president at Hardee’s.

Wyatt’s most recent position was in Southern California as CEO of NORMS Restaurants, a 24-7 diner concept that is exclusive to that region.

Over 34 years, Wyatt and his wife have moved 14 times, so they are looking forward to “planting some roots here,” he said.

Wyatt believes it is “important to have boots on the ground.” Wyatt plans to be a fixture at Clean Eatz cafes, managing its direct-to-consumer lineup, as well as its consumer packaged goods of bars and protein powders.

“There are many spokes in the wheel, and we are just scratching the surface as we head into a growth trajectory – the mission is to transform lives through accessibility and affordable lines,” Wyatt said. “The sky is the limit. It is super exciting to be a part of it.”

Whether the consumer chooses Clean Eatz for a casual eating experience in one of its cafes, orders a meal plan online or opts for one of its grab-and-go meals from a cooler in a café, the goal of Clean Eatz is to give consumers the needed tools by preparing properly portioned meals with a balance of protein, carbohydrates and fats.

Clean Eatz also offers catering, which Wyatt called “a significant opportunity. There are so many occasions that take place, and it is super simple to execute.”

Wyatt is also looking to bring Clean Eatz to consumers in “nontraditional locations.” This means, in addition to the brick-and-mortar locations, offering Clean Eatz foods and products in places such as airports, kiosks and vending options. The types of packing and distribution that Clean Eatz provides lend themselves to those possibilities for distribution, according to Wyatt.

The Clean Eatz Direct to the Consumer line has kitchens in Wilmington, Missouri and Utah. Within three days of ordering, the food is delivered to the customer in microwave-safe containers that are ready to heat and eat or can be frozen for up to six months.

A graduate of East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania, Wyatt often returns to his alma mater to talk with students about his career and experience in business.

“I never thought I’d be in a position where people would want to listen to me,” he said.

Wyatt’s job was cleaning at a restaurant at the university. He moved to dishwashing, then stocking the eatery’s pantry, which is what sparked his interest in the business.

Wyatt continued to move up the chain of command until he was market manager, running national chain brands.

Working with people on every level is how Wyatt said he is building on the Clean Eatz commitment. 

“It is so important to work shoulder to shoulder with folks at every level from the warehouse to the kitchen. It is all about human connection,” Wyatt said. “Clean Eatz provides that human connection, and it is how the founders of Clean Eatz have maintained that vision.”