What Is Kat Cole's Net Worth?
Kat Cole is an American businesswoman who has a net worth of $100 million. Kat Cole is the former COO and President of Focus Brands and former President of the Focus Brands subsidiary Cinnabon. Cole previously served as executive vice president of Hooters.
Kat started off working as a Hooters hostess and was selected to train new owners and employees at the first Hooters in Australia. At 26 years old, she became Vice President of Training and Development for the company.
Cole became president of Cinnabon in 2011 and helped the company partner with restaurants such as Burger King and Taco Bell. She was featured on the show "Undercover Boss" in 2012 and was the youngest CEO to appear at 34. Kat was recognized on "Fortune Magazine's" 2013 "40 under 40" list. In late 2021, Cole was named President and COO of Athletic Greens.
Early Life
Kat Cole was born Katrina Cole on March 18, 1978, in Jacksonville, Florida. Cole's parents divorced when she was 9 years old, and her mother raised Kat and her two younger sisters as a single mother. As a teenager, Cole worked at The Body Shop before taking a job as a hostess at Hooters. Kat earned an MBA from Georgia State University in 2010. She had previously enrolled at the University of North Florida to study engineering, but she dropped out after Hooters began offering her global opportunities. In order to be able to apply at Georgia State, Cole was required to take the GMAT and take part in extra interviews. Kat also asked for letters of recommendations from several CEOs, including Ted Turner.
Hooters
During her first year at Hooters, Cole worked in nearly all of the restaurant's positions, including cook and manager. After her manager recommended her as the best employee of the Jacksonville franchise, Kat was sent to Sydney, where she trained the new owners and employees at Australia's first Hooters restaurant. She then traveled to other international locations to train employees.
At the age of 26, Cole was named vice president of training and development at Hooters, and she oversaw the chain's expansion from around 100 locations to 500 locations and from $300 million in revenue to $1 billion.
Cinnabon
Kat was hired by Cinnabon Inc. in November 2010, and she became the company's president two months later. During her first three years at Cinnabon, Cole expanded the company by 200 bakeries and created partnerships with several restaurants and grocery stores. In 2013, Cinnabon's sales were an estimated $1 billion. During a 2012 episode of "Undercover Boss," Kat anonymously worked in some of Cinnabon's production and retail roles. In 2015, she was named group president of Focus Brands, which owns Cinnabon, Auntie Anne's, and Moe's Southwest Grill.
In December 2021, Cole became the COO and President of the nutrition company Athletic Greens. The company's founder, Chris Ashenden, said of the decision to hire Cole, "Kat is a world-class leader, experienced growth executive and all-around special human. We are thrilled to have her join Athletic Greens as our business is experiencing outstanding growth and the global opportunity for simple, effective daily nutrition solutions continues to widen. Kat's track record of building great businesses, leading teams, innovating, and strengthening brands will power Athletic Greens to grow and deepen relationships with our dedicated global community of AG1 customers."
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Personal Life
Kat met Daley Ervin at a Baltimore social impact event, and they became engaged in 2015. Cole and Ervin married at Burning Man in 2016, and Kat said of the wedding, "To have so many people there, literally next to us while we read our vows to each other was one of the most magical experiences of my life. Everyone wasn't simply witnessing our wedding but actually taking part in it which felt so special." The couple has two children, son Ocean and daughter Arrow. Cole has been involved with charitable efforts such as mentoring entrepreneurs and young women and working for sustainable development in Africa. She has been a member of the board of directors of the Women's Foodservice Forum, and she has served as a chair of the Georgia Restaurant Association's executive committee and the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation's Certification Governing Board.
Awards
In 2007, Cole was named Volunteer of the Year by the Women's Foodservice Forum, and the following year, she received the Elliot Leadership Institute's Motivator of the Year award. In 2010, she was honored with the Georgia Restaurant Association's Crystal of Excellence (GRACE) Award.
