The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s first drive-through-only location in the United States, in Rialto, California. March 2024 press photo.
The California-born coffee chain The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (CBTL) recently tapped former Taco Bell franchising finance executive Tara Hinkle to lead its business in the Americas.
Hinkle joined CBTL in January as president and head of Americas following approximately five years at Taco Bell, where she most recently served as a senior director of franchise finance and strategy. Hinkle also spent more than a decade at Starbucks, becoming director of business development and partnerships.
According to an announcement from CBTL, which is headquartered in California but owned by Filipino fast food multinational Jollibee Corporation, Hinkle will drive the overall growth strategy, particularly in franchise development.
CBTL currently has approximately 1,200 company-operated or franchise locations across 20 countries, with just over 200 in the United States, according to the company’s online store locator. By comparison, as of 2018, the company had 311 U.S. stores.
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf President and Head of Americas Tara Hinkle. Press photo.
“With her deep expertise in franchise finance and operations, [Hinkle] will ensure the brand’s strategic vision aligns with scalable, sustainable growth,” CBTL said. “By strengthening market positioning and optimizing business operations, Hinkle will play a key role in elevating The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf as a premier cafe brand across the Americas.”
In the U.S., 52-year-old CBTL has legacy cult status, particularly among Southern Californians, as a popularizing force behind frozen, blended coffee drinks. According to company lore, a CBTL barista first “invented” blended iced coffee drinks in 1987, years before something similar called a “Frappuccino” would be introduced by a competing coffee chain.
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