In many ways it sounds like a classic American success story: Chris Hellmann started as a dishwasher at age 15 for Ponderosa, proudly working his way up to fry cook. In those early days he felt a real connection with the business. “There was something about the energy, the teamwork, and the way food brings people together that really stuck with me.” Over the years, that initial spark grew into a genuine passion for the industry, shaping the direction of his entire career. Hellmann has spent more than three decades in the foodservice industry with 29 years at Coca-Cola as a Global VP and GM where he helped grow the Coca-Cola freestyle division to over 50,000 customers worldwide. (His go-to flavor is Fanta Grape.) He joined Restaurant Technologies (RTI) as Chief Commercial Officer in 2023, helping the automated cooking oil management provider to grow to more than 45,000 customers nationwide. (His go-to is RTI Gold.) As he retires this month, Hellmann looks back and shares lessons he’s learned along the way about the industry, growing a brand, and building trust with Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine readers. What kept you in foodservice and inspired you? I started working for Coke when I was 28 in the Fountain department. So, I was selling to foodservice customers and I just loved it. The science and art of the business made sense to me. While I had many roles at Coke, they were mostly attached to restaurants. I ran the global SUBWAY Restaurant business for Coke…
