CHRISTINA ZAVALA
Senior Director of Key Accounts - WSET 2 Wine Certified
Christina joined the MindMeld team 6+ years ago. She brings 20+ years of restaurant, sales, marketing, and social media management experience to MindMeld. Christina began her restaurant career working as a server for several national concepts which lead to a role as a new store opening trainer and then to a marketing position with the franchisor of Tilted Kilt. She was the concepts first Field Marketing Consultant working with franchise and corporate restaurants to help them develop and execute local store marketing plans.
Christina also served as a member of the Beverage Committee and assisted with supplier marketing programs, billing and relationship management. As major multi-unit markets were established she coordinated meetings for local Beverage Summits with local distributors and franchisees to develop market wide plans.
Christina’s years of FOH and training knowledge are helpful when selecting programs to ensure they are executable from a FOH standpoint and that staff will understand how to market to customers. Christina’s professional goal is to help her clients drive sales and grow their business. She resides in Alexandria, VA.
CHRISTINE CORDRAY
Director of Key Accounts
Christine Cordray joined the MindMeld in 2023. She brings 15+ years of hospitality leadership experience as well as Franchise Business Consulting experience to the team. She began her professional career in marketing with a large technology company headquartered in San Jose, CA. In 2000, she relocated to Phoenix, AZ while continuing in her role providing support, marketing and customer service until 2008.
Christine joined Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery initially starting out as a server, and shortly thereafter was promoted to a corporate trainer as part of the brand’s expansion to open and support 100+ franchisees. In this role, Christine was responsible for training franchisees, managers, bartenders and servers in new store operations, customer service and integration of the TKFO brand.
Christine’s leadership skills and ability to promote the brand’s identity from both the perspective of recruitment of staff as well as targeting the brand’s consumer, led to her being promoted to the National Recruiting Manager. In this capacity she re-engineered the hiring and recruiting program while developing customized training for all franchise locations. These training programs included beverage training, marketing, staff incentives, recruiting plans, best practices and employee retention plans when hiring.
Christine brings a variety of skill sets to the MindMeld team and is a subject matter expert in store operations, customer service, training, hiring and recruiting. She has been included in a variety of committees on decision making for all restaurant aspects including beverage and menu development, marketing programs, site selection and uniform design to name a few for recognized brands such as Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery, WingHouse, Dick’s Wings and Fat Patty’s. Christine lives in Queen Creek, AZ.
Meet the Minds
KRISTIN CRONHARDT
Founder
Kristin brings 30+ years of restaurant industry experience to MindMeld. Kristin began her career working for QSR and Fast Casual concepts including Subway, Schlotszky’s Deli, Port of Subs and she was a franchisee of Cold Stone Creamery. Kristin also spent 7 years as the VP of Marketing for the Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery helping build, market and grow the brand from 11 pubs to over 100. Kristin has extensive experience in successful strategic planning, marketing and advertising campaign development and execution, creative development, concept branding, media placement, strategic partnership development and menu and beverage program management.
Kristin has worked on the franchisee side, the franchisor side and has been a franchisee herself giving her a broad and balanced understanding of the restaurant industry. Launching and managing the Tilted Kilt’s beverage program and working alongside the various beer, wine and spirit partners is what led to Kristin’s desire to get into a consulting role today. She realized there is a big opportunity to help restaurants and beer, wine and spirit companies identify brands and create marketing programs that fit with each other to accomplish the main goal of driving sales and volume. Kristin’s professional goal is to help her clients drive sales and grow their business.