Font Size:

The toast of the sandwich world has a new general counsel. Denver-based The Quiznos Master LLC, known for its toasted sandwiches, has named Pat Meyers as its new legal chief.

It's not Meyers' first job at the country's number two sandwich maker (after Subway, a brand of corporation Doctor's Associates, Inc.). He was the company's general counsel for ten years, and left two years ago to become chief legal officer of Consumer Capital Partners, one of the private company's largest investors.

Meyers will oversee legal functions for the company's U.S. and international franchise operations, including regulatory matters, compliance, litigation, contracts, and other agreements. He will also continue to serve on Quiznos' board of managers. Meyers was not available for comment.

Meyers didn't leave the food service industry, or sever his ties with Quiznos, during his two-year absence from the company, though. Quiznos founder and current CEO Rick Schaden is also the founder and chairman of Consumer Capital Partners. The private investment and strategic marketing firm is actively developing new restaurant and retail concepts, including Smashburger, a rapidly growing "better burger" hamburger concept. Schaden was named Quiznos' CEO last February after the departure of Dave Deno, who resigned for personal reasons, according to a press release.

Meyers will have plenty of legal issues on his plate. Quiznos has been at the center of several lawsuits and controversies in recent years. Several franchise owners have filed lawsuits against Quiznos, accusing the company of various misdeeds, such as pocketing licensing fees and not finding store locations within an allotted time frame.

Other suits claim that the company's licensing agreement forces them to buy everything from food to payroll systems through designated suppliers and distributors owned by Quiznos. Those suppliers, the suits claim, charge franchise owners higher prices than they could obtain on their own.

—A.M.

Subscribe to Corporate Counsel