Orange County’s newest Shake Shack is looking to bulk up its team ahead of the restaurant’s May 9 debut.
In a social media post, the restaurant said it’s hiring. Working at Shake Shack for “bread, paper, moolah or whatever you call it” runs an average $22 hourly, including tips. (Always read the fine print.)
In case you missed it: Corner Bakery in Fountain Valley is latest to close
The burger chain with a legion of fans is also opening in Brea and Huntington Beach this year, according to the Register’s Food writer, Brock Keeling. There’s a location in Irvine, and it’s hiring, too.
In Costa Mesa, Shake Shack is taking the place of a shuttered I-Hop at 333 E. 17th St.
For Orange shoppers: Tiddlywinks in Old Towne reopens in neighboring store
The restaurant got it start in Madison Square Park in New York City. It’s since grown to 400 units worldwide.
For more information on the moolah, go to shackcareers.com
Klatch Coffee now available at Sprouts
Rancho Cucamong’s Klatch Coffee beans are now being sold at Sprouts Farmers Market.
The family-owned Klatch is known for its coffee and espresso, crafted from in-house roasted beans that are sourced from ethical and sustainable coffee farms.
Prices for Klatch at Sprouts run $19 to $20 for 11 ounces. Varieties include the company’s “Crazy Goat,” mocha java and espresso.
Klatch recently held a three-day national barista competition at its Rancho Cucamonga headquarters store. The event hosted 70 competitors and crowned three winners. Barista champion went to Frank La of Be Bright Coffee in Los Angeles. The second-place winner was Morgan Eckroth of Onyx Coffee Lab in Portland, and third place went to Jason Yeo of Saint Frank Coffee in San Francisco.
JWA passenger count rises in February
Passenger traffic at John Wayne Airport notched a slight increase in February over last February.
The airport reported it saw 856,665 passengers through its gates, an increase of 1.8% vs. February 2023 (841,593 passengers).
Commercial aircraft operations were up 4.3% and commuter aircraft operations decreased 11.3%.
There were 20,748 takeoffs and landings, an 8.3% increase.
The top three airlines based on passenger count were Southwest Airlines (270,939), American Airlines (151,634) and Alaska Airlines (129,308).
Midway City lands state grant to help divert organic waste
Midway City Sanitary District has been awarded a $274,786 grant from CalRecycle to help the district divert and reduce organic waste sent to landfills.
The money comes as part of a statewide effort to support Senate Bill 1383, which requires a repurposing of organic waste in order to reduce methane gas emissions.
The grant will go toward public outreach and education initiatives for local schools, to buy recordkeeping software, and to pay for consultants who will help the district with SB 1383 compliance.
Hyundai’s Supernal taps NASA veteran as CTO
NASA veteran David McBride is the new chief technology officer at Supernal LLC, Hyundai Motor Group’s Advanced Air Mobility company, in Irvine.
Supernal is developing an electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle and the ground-to-air ecosystem that will support this emerging industry.
McBride, who spent 40 years at NASA and owns an aerospace consulting company, will lead Supernal’s technology strategy and vehicle development.
“David has spent his career making the ‘impossible’ ‘possible’ in aviation, leading numerous successful missions at NASA, and we are eager for him to help lead Supernal in bringing our scalable eVTOL vehicle to market in 2028,” said Jaiwon Shin, president of Hyundai Motor Group and CEO of Supernal.
New dean named for Vanguard’s school of business
Thomas Arnold recently was named founding dean of the Patty Arvielo School of Business and Management at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, effective June 1.
Arnold previously was assistant dean of the Argyros College of Business and Economics at Chapman University, senior adviser at McKinsey & Co. and global head of real estate at Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.
The Patty Arvielo School of Business and Management launches in fall 2024, and will include accounting, business administration, communication, management, marketing, organizational psychology and people operations programs.
On the move
Ian L. Holroyd is the new chief financial officer at Leonid Capital Partners in Huntington Beach. The investment firm works with high-growth technology companies in the national security industry. Holroyd has nearly 30 years of accounting, finance and operations experience. He previously worked as an outsourced CFO at Constellation, according to his LinkedIn page.
Danielle Fragalla has been tapped as the new chief executive officer at the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation in Irvine. She previously worked with Children’s Hospital of Orange County Foundation; American Heart Association of Orange County, Inland Empire and Coachella Valley; and City of Hope. Jeri Wilson, the longtime executive director at the foundation, is shifting to a newly created role of vice president of development for principal gifts.
Duncan Cork has been appointed as the new president of Body Fit Training in Irvine. The boutique fitness brand, which opened 30 studios in 2023, is owned by parent company Xponential Fitness, also in Irvine. Cork previously held multiple executive roles at F45, another boutique fitness company.
Good works
A whole bunch of unopened food on display at the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim was packaged up and sent to Second Harvest Food Bank where it will go toward feeding the county’s “neighbors in need,” the nonprofit said. Second Harvest said 200 volunteers spent 702 hours collecting 143,468 pounds of excess, unopened food from the event.
Status Update is compiled and written by Business Editor Samantha Gowen. Submit items and high-resolution photos to sgowen@scng.com. Allow at least one week for publication. Items are edited for length and clarity.
