Mo' Bettahs Hawaiian Style Food has appointed Don Crocker as chief development officer, handing a 30-year development veteran control of the growth engine at a brand pushing into new and existing markets.

Crocker will oversee real estate, design and construction, asset management and new restaurant openings — the full development stack that determines how quickly a fast-casual chain can add units and at what cost.

Who is Don Crocker?

Crocker arrives from Smalls Sliders, the burger concept built around small-footprint shipping-container units, where he also held the chief development officer title. Before that role, he led domestic franchise development, giving him experience on both the company-owned and franchised sides of unit growth.

That background aligns with Mo' Bettahs' needs. The Hawaiian-style plate lunch chain has been expanding through franchising while building out its company-operated base, and development leadership that can manage site selection, buildout costs and opening timelines directly affects the unit economics of both channels.

What does the role cover?

The chief development officer position at Mo' Bettahs spans the functions that typically sit at the center of expansion economics:

• Real estate — site selection and market planning for new and existing territories
• Design and construction — buildout standards and cost control
• Asset management — oversight of the existing footprint
• New restaurant openings — execution and timing of launches

Consolidating these under one leader suggests the chain is prioritizing disciplined, repeatable openings as it scales.

Why does this matter for growth?

For a fast-casual brand, development velocity is a numbers game. Rent, construction costs and speed-to-opening shape the payback period on every new unit, and a chief development officer with franchise-side experience can help franchisees hit those targets as readily as company stores.

Crocker's hire signals that Mo' Bettahs intends to keep adding restaurants across both new and existing markets, with a leader who has done the same job at a high-growth concept. His first priorities will likely include translating Smalls Sliders-style development discipline into Mo' Bettahs' larger-format, Hawaiian-style operations as the chain continues its expansion.