Restaurant Technologies Names Alissa Partee President & CEO

Why It Matters

The leadership handoff ensures continuity for RTI’s fast‑growing, technology‑driven services while signaling stability to investors and customers in a niche yet expanding market.

Key Takeaways

• Alissa Partee becomes RTI President & CEO on July 1 2026.
• She previously led HR, earning Newsweek’s “America’s Greatest Workplaces” honors.
• As COO, she built a nine‑member ops‑excellence team to boost service.
• RTI serves over 45,000 customers with 1,200 employees across 41 depots.
• Founder Jeff Kiesel shifts to non‑executive chairman after 20‑year CEO tenure.

Pulse Analysis

Restaurant Technologies has carved out a unique niche by automating cooking‑oil management for quick‑service and full‑service restaurants. The company’s growth from 12 depots in 2005 to 41 today reflects a broader industry shift toward data‑driven kitchen operations, where efficiency and safety are paramount. By appointing Alissa Partee—an executive who has already driven cultural and operational improvements—RTI signals that it will double down on innovation while preserving the employee‑first ethos that earned it multiple workplace accolades.

Partee’s trajectory from Chief People Officer to COO showcases a rare blend of people‑centric leadership and operational rigor. Under her HR stewardship, RTI garnered national recognition for diversity and mental‑well‑being, reinforcing a strong employer brand that aids talent acquisition in a competitive tech‑services market. As COO, she instituted a nine‑member operations‑excellence team that streamlined service workflows, directly enhancing customer value and positioning the firm for scalable growth. This dual focus on culture and efficiency is likely to translate into higher client retention and new‑business wins.

The transition occurs under the ownership of Energy Capital Partners, which acquired RTI from Goldman Sachs in 2022. Private‑equity backing provides the capital needed for product development and geographic expansion, while the continuity of leadership mitigates execution risk. For investors and industry watchers, Partee’s appointment suggests that RTI will pursue aggressive market penetration, potentially expanding its footprint beyond the United States and setting a benchmark for automated kitchen solutions in the broader food‑service technology sector.