Sheetz "makes it his business to stay one step ahead of his one million customers each day," the magazine wrote.
"I think innovation should be driven by the customer and what they need," Sheetz told QSR. "Secondly, it should [image-nocss] be driven by what we as a company need to efficiently serve the customer. That's where the genesis of our technology has come from."
Based in Altoona, Pa., Sheetz operates 368 stores in six states and maintains annual revenues north of $4.4 billion.
Others on the magazine's list of the QSR industry's most innovative people include:
David Novak, chairman and CEO of Louisville, Ky.-based Yum! Brands Inc., parent of Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut. Jeff Harvey, CEO of Burgerville, a 39-unit gourmet burger chain based in Vancouver, Wash. Fred DeLuca, cofounder and president of Milford, Conn.based Subway. Sue Morelli, president and CEO of Boston-based Au Bon Pain. Howard Schultz, chairman and CEO of Starbucks, Seattle. Jim Skinner, CEO of McDonald's, Oak Brook, Ill. Antonio Swad, founder and CEO of Pizza Patr a a' a'n, Dallas. Cheryl Bachelder, president of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Atlanta. Steve Ells, founder, CEO and chairman of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Denver. Click here to read the complete QSR story.
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