LAVAL, Quebec -- The man who developed a five-year strategic plan for all foodservice categories at Circle K convenience stores will have to watch the program develop from a distance.
Joseph Chiovera has left Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. and his role as vice president of foodservice, as reported in a Raymond James/CSP Daily News Flash on Friday.
Chiovera had no comment about the reason for his exit, but said he is looking for a new position.
Couche-Tard, Laval, Quebec, did not respond to a request from comment by press time.
Chiovera made the jump from Dallas-based 7-Eleven Inc., where he served as senior director of fresh foods, in January 2011. While at Couche-Tard, he developed the five-year program with a major concentration on the morning daypart, including hot dispensed, hot food, fresh sandwiches, salads, snacks, fruit and bakery.
Chiovera also developed private-label fresh product lines for breakfast sandwiches and burritos, fresh cut fruit, parfaits, sandwiches and salads, among other program.
Over the past two years, he has been frequently lauded by president and CEO Alain Bouchard for bringing the Circle K retailer's foodservice program to a new and improved level.
"We are very, very impressed with the progress in foodservice in all divisions," Bouchard said in November. "Joe Chiovera is doing a great job … so I think this trend will continue for a long, long time."
Chiovera has worked in convenience store foodservice since 1996.
He joined 7-Eleven in February 2008 as fresh foods senior director as part of the company's strategy to enhance a dimension of an important and growing part of the convenience retailer's business. His category responsibilities included fresh sandwiches, cold snacks, salads and entrees, along with the operations of 7-Eleven's 14 commissaries to align with strategic category direction. Before that, his focus was in business system support with supervisory responsibilities for procurement, quality assurance and culinary development.
Before his position at 7-Eleven, Chiovera spent the greater part of eight years with ExxonMobil On the Run. He served as the company's U.S. concept development manager after having held a number of marketing and operations positions there. Previously, he spent four years at Sheetz as director of product and concept development and eight years at Marriott International Inc. in similar positions.
Chiovera has an associates degree in Culinary Arts and a Bachelor's Degree in Food Service Management from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I. He continued his studies at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, earning graduate credits towards his MBA.
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