Second Cup Appoints Former Wingstop Executive Joe Walker as CEO
August 5 - 2026
Coffee Geography Magazine
Second Cup Coffee Co. has announced the appointment of Joe Walker, a veteran food and beverage executive with experience at Wingstop, Starbucks, and McDonald's, as its new Chief Executive Officer. The appointment, effective August 3, 2026, marks a strategic shift for the Canadian specialty coffee retailer as it looks to accelerate international growth.
Walker will be based primarily in the Middle East, where he will oversee the region's development as an international hub for the coffee chain while simultaneously leading Canadian operations. This dual mandate reflects Second Cup's ambitious plans to expand its global footprint while maintaining its domestic presence.
At Wingstop, Walker led the brand's expansion across the Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. His experience in scaling international operations and navigating diverse markets made him an ideal candidate to lead Second Cup's global ambitions. Walker also held senior leadership roles with Yolk Brands and Starbucks before beginning his career at McDonald's and KFC.
Founded in Toronto in 1975 by Tom Culligan and Frank O'Dea, Second Cup began as a modest mall kiosk selling whole-bean coffee. As the brand grew, Culligan bought out O'Dea in 1988 before selling the company in 1992 to Michael Bregman, who took the chain public on the Toronto Stock Exchange under Second Cup Ltd.
The early 2000s marked a shift toward corporate conglomerate ownership when foodservice giant Cara Operations (now Recipe Unlimited) acquired the specialty coffee chain in 2002. Just four years later, Cara sold the brand to Dinecorp Hospitality, an investment firm controlled by former Cara executive Gabe Tsampalieros.
Following Tsampalieros's passing, a pivotal corporate restructuring in 2009 permanently split Second Cup into two entirely separate companies, dividing its domestic and international trademark rights forever. This bifurcation created two distinct business entities that continue to operate independently today.
The Canadian domestic business remained a public entity, eventually rebranding its parent company to Aegis Brands Inc. in 2019. In 2021, Aegis completed an $11 million USD sale of the Canadian café network to Montreal-based franchisor Foodtastic Inc., which continues to own and manage the brand's domestic division today, focusing on modernizing Canadian store layouts and expanding its regional presence.
Meanwhile, the international trademark rights went to a private entity called The Second Cup Coffee Company Inc. This arm expanded the brand globally into roughly 20 countries across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
As of August 2026, Second Cup operates 380 total branches globally. The domestic Canadian arm manages approximately 200 active locations across Canada, while the international division operates roughly 180 branches across approximately 20 countries worldwide.
The company already has an established presence in the Middle East, East and West Africa, Asia, Europe, and other international markets. Second Cup said it is actively seeking qualified franchisees to support its continued international growth, with Walker's Middle East base positioning him to lead this charge.
Following a recent financial restructuring under creditor protection, the international division secured backing from Arbat Capital Group, culminating in the executive shakeup that appointed Walker as global CEO to aggressively scale the brand's international presence.
Second Cup sources a large portion of its coffee through ethical and Rainforest Alliance certified programs, maintaining its commitment to sustainability while pursuing aggressive expansion.