Casey's Creates New Foodservice Position
ANKENY, Iowa — Casey's General Stores Inc. is building upon its trademark as The Official Pizza and Beer Headquarters with a new job opening.
Just ahead of National Pizza Week (Jan. 14-20), the convenience store operator and fifth-largest pizza chain in the United States has officially launched a search for its first-ever Chief Pizza & Beer Officer.
Requirements for the role include clear communication skills and a high motivation to eat tasty pizza and responsibly drink ice-cold beer. The Chief Pizza & Beer Officer will spearhead pizza and beer pairing research and be responsible for creating compelling social media content to inform Casey's Country fans about research findings. They will also attend public events to spread their passion for Casey's pizza and beer.
"As The Official Pizza and Beer Headquarters, Casey's offers the unique ability to provide guests with craveable, handmade pizza and a variety of beer options to pair with it," said Tom Brennan, chief merchandising officer at Casey's. "With over 200 beer options and plenty of fan-favorite Casey's pizzas to choose from, the Chief Pizza & Beer Officer will have their hands — and beer cooler — full. Great pizza deserves great beer, and the Chief Pizza & Beer Officer will play a key part in making sure Casey's guests know about both."
Inspiration for the job posting came from the Casey's team discussing how to spread the word and engage its guest base on the "best combination ever" of the company's made-from-scratch, handmade pizza and ice-cold beer, according to Brennan, who sat down with Convenience Store News to talk about the new role.
"We are really excited about this job posting best job. It will create a lot of buzz, a lot of excitement, a lot of laughter," he said. "But I mean, this is serious in terms of we are going to be actually filling this position."
LAUNCHING THE SEARCH
To help with recruitment efforts, Casey's is partnering with former NFL defensive lineman and well-known content creator and comedian Anthony "Spice" Adams as its search consultant.
"It seemed to be a perfect fit given Anthony's experience, both playing in the NFL but I think even more importantly, the personality that he's become," Brennan said. "He's been on the Big 10 Network, he's a former host of the Great American Baking Show and he's definitely a strong influencer."
In addition to his media career, Adams is well known for his comedic videos posted on social media channels like Instagram and TikTok, many of which have gone viral.
"I thought that I had the best job in the world when I played in the NFL, but then Casey's told me about its Chief Pizza & Beer Officer — and the opportunity for me to lead the search," Adams said. "Tasting pizza and beer is fun — but it's also serious work for this pizza and beer expert. After all, resting on the tastebuds and shoulders of this new position is the pizza enjoyment of millions across Casey's Country."
Adams and the Casey's team are looking for someone of legal drinking age who loves pizza and, ideally, lives near a Casey's c-store, but there are other qualifications that will make the right candidate stand out.
"We're talking about the person who has to have pizza stamina, because certainly as part of this research, it's going to be to continue to find the best possible pairings," Brennan said.
The goal is to vet applicants and identify the right person during a two-week window and announce the new hire on Feb. 9, National Pizza Day, Brennan said. The chain will share more details as the situation develops, but the officer will serve as "an ambassador for this amazing pairing that's available at Casey's."
The eventual officer will be working with Casey's existing pizza toppings and varieties, but there is room for possible change.
"We always have an eye towards innovation. We're always trying to listen to our guests. We're trying to understand what's going on with many trends," Brennan said. "We have an innovation pipeline that's working in progress as we speak, and so we are always going to be open to new ideas and look to explore them.
Candidates for Casey's Chief Pizza & Beer Officer position can submit applications at www.caseys.com/bestjobever through Jan. 24. Benefits include job supplies like receiving pizza and beer from Casey's stores, branded glassware and other swag, coverage of travel costs for position duties and a negotiable compensation package. Full details are available on the LinkedIn job posting.
Ankeny-based Casey's General Stores operates more than 2,600 stores across 17 states.
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