Shams Charania

Shams’ QSR journey started when his parents immigrated to Atlanta, Georgia in the year 1999. At 14 years old and still in high school, he went to work at a Popeyes in Gainesville, GA on the weekends.  Slowly but surely Shams learned every aspect of store operations and was soon named Manager of that franchise, running the restaurant on weekends in the owner’s absence.

In 2003, while attending Georgia State University in downtown Atlanta, Shams got an opportunity to work as an Assistant Manager at a Dunkin’ Donuts in Chamblee, Georgia. With his own brother being the Manager of the store, the situation worked out well for him and together the two brothers not only increased sales but were able to impress Dunkin’ corporate with their expertise in operating clean, high-quality and efficient restaurants.

In 2007, after graduating from Georgia State University with an accounting degree and having completed an internship at PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Shams knew corporate America was just not his cup of coffee.  So, after months of considering his next venture, Shams finally got an opportunity to acquire 3 Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants together with his brother and one of the owners of the Popeyes that he used to work at during high school.

Fast forward 13 years and Shams still does not regret his decision to not pursue accounting as a career. “I enjoy every aspect of the restaurant business and as the Chief People Officer of the organization. I work on organizational strategy, finding new opportunities, overseeing construction and development, and making sure that qualified individuals in the organization have access to increased opportunities to succeed, opportunities like the one I was fortunate to obtain back in 2007.  After all, we are in the PEOPLE business, and the continuous development of the PEOPLE in our organization is a hallmark of our operation.”

Shams also received a Masters of Business Administration degree from Georgia Tech in 2011 and sits on the Brand Advisory Council for Dunkin’ franchisees and is also a Board member of National DCP, a two+ billion dollar supply chain co-op procuring for and delivering goods and services to over 10,000 Dunkin restaurants.

“If you want to walk fast, walk alone. But if you want to walk far, walk together.”-Ratan Tata

Barkat “Bert” Colabawala

Bert’s QSR journey started in 1984 when he arrived in New York and went to go work as a baker in a Dunkin’ Donuts in Queens, New York. He used to work nights so he could go to school during the day at Queens College. After graduating with an associates degree in computer information services, Bert held numerous positions in the information technology and healthcare industries.

Bert moved to Atlanta in 1990, and after spending a brief time at a technology firm called CCS, his entrepreneurial drive led him back to the QSR industry. He partnered up with a group and acquired his first restaurant and over the years became a multi-unit franchisee for brands such as Checkers, Burger King and Church’s Chicken.

Bert joined ZSC in 2015 as a Director of Operations and currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer overseeing the company’s Operations, Finance, Human Resources and Information Technology functions.  Bert is also a partner in the company as well as a franchisee for Dunkin’ with ownership across several restaurant networks.

Bert brings a unique talent of attracting and developing incredible human capital with a calm leadership style that is a hybrid of equal parts inspiration and accountability, together with the firm belief that it is equally important to develop a person as a whole and not just professionally.

Rakib Hasan

Rakib is a shining example of  ZSC’s growth from within culture. He started as a crew member back in 2011 at the age of 21 right after he moved to the USA and for all intents and purposes, has essentially grown up in the organization. He believes only hard work, dedication, and honesty lead a person to success. Prior to joining ZSC in 2011, Rakib was Senior Executive, Business Assurance & HR at Telenor, one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies, with operations worldwide.

Rakib has the proven ability to deliver operational & sales results in both dynamic growth and economically-challenged environments. Rakib has strong leadership experience in sales, new business development, product management, operations, business review & strategy, and finance.

Rakib holds an MBA and a Bachelor of Business, major in Finance from Kennesaw State University. Rakib is an OSHA Certified lead auditor and a ServSafe Certified Instructor & Proctor.

Arslan Khan

Arslan is another example of ZSC’s strong culture of identifying talent and promoting them from within the organization. Arslan started with the company in 2010 when he was just 17 years old. Arslan began as a crew member and worked his way up to being a Director of Operations in less than 10 years. Arslan has held every position in the restaurant and understands what it takes to run a successful quick service network.

Arslan is a terrific example of great performance leading to great success and is a mentor to many of the restaurant managers in the organization, many of whom would like to emulate Arslan’s journey in our organization. Arslan also thrives when faced with challenges and is known for turning around restaurants and making them profitable.

Arslan continues to grow within the organization and firmly believes in dreaming big and working hard.

Shahzad Ajanee

Prior to joining ZSC, Shahzad was an owner-operator in the convenience store business. After 15 years in the business, Shahzad was looking for a fresh start in a different industry and applied to work for the company. Shahzad was interviewed over the phone and given his terrific background and experience, was hired immediately as an Assistant Manager for one of the restaurants in the organization.

After years of a proven track record of building sales andguest counts, and more importantly, his ability to recruit, mentor and train new talent, has resulted in Shazad’s promotion to  an Above Restaurant Leader overseeing multiple restaurants. His biggest asset is the ability to take each person as an individual, and he understands that each one of us is unique in our own way and what works for one, may not for another. This ability makes him an exceptional leader, especially in this high turnover industry. He insists that with proper training and patience, there is no such thing as a bad hiring decision.

Shahzad has resided in the suburbs of Atlanta for over 20 years, and is a proud parent of four amazing boys. Even though his foremost emphasis for his boys will always be education, he insists on teaching them never to let an opportunity go by unexplored. Also, Shahzad believes you are never too old to learn as long as you have the ability and desire to do so.  Shahzad, at the age of 37, decided to pivot his career with a fresh start at ZSC, has worked hard and has never looked back.

It may sound silly to some, but he lives his life based on a few simple words he heard in a movie as a child, uttered by a tiny green fictional character. “Do or do not, there is no try.”

Maryam Almamlouk

Maryam’s first ever job was as a crew member at one of our restaurants. At 16 years of age, Maryam started scooping ice cream and making coffee while at the same time attending Marietta High School and graduating in 2017. Maryam continued working her way up in the organization to later become a store manager in 2018. After 2 years of driving sales and guest counts in a positive direction she now is an Above Restaurant Leader for ZSC.

Besides being a superstar in the organization, Maryam is currently attending Chattohoochee Technical Institute with the intent to later enroll in Kennesaw State Univeristy to pursue a degree in Business. She feels that this organization truly provides her an opportunity to get an education while working on achieving her professional goals. Maryam is a firm believer of working hard and has proven herself time and again in operating successful restaurants. Maryam believes that success doesn’t just find you; you have to go out and get it, and with the right kind of coaching and determination you can accomplish ANYTHING!

Bilal Khan

Bilal’s journey with the organization started in 2010 when he was hired as a crew member in one of the Dunkin’ restaurants operated by ZSC. Bilal worked his way from being a crew member to an Assistant Manager. He then left the organization to gain experience in a different industry and found himself managing multiple gas and convenience stores, which provided valuable management and operational experience.

A few years later, missing the fast-paced quick service industry, Bilal found himself back at ZSC as a store Manager for one of the locations and was recently promoted to an Above Restaurant Leader. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing the operations of multiple restaurants and ensuring locations are meeting budgets, sales and customer satisfaction goals as well as successfully executing marketing campaigns and promotions according to Dunkin’ Brands guidelines.

Bilal has a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology Management as well as an Associates degree in Computer and Information Technology from Virtual University.

“If it doesn’t challenge you it doesn’t change you.” Fred Devito

Shaheryar Khan

Shaheryar is the newest addition to the ZSC family. Shaheryar brings over 19 years of experience in the industry, owning and operating Church’s Chicken franchised restaurants. Just like other team members, Shaheryar too started his journey as a crew member and worked his way up in the Church’s Chicken organization.

Shaheryar became a part of the ZSC family in 2019 as a store manager and based on his vast experience and skills, was recently promoted to an Above Restaurant Leader overseeing multiple restaurants. Shaheryar is results-focused and has a proven track record of achieving financial and service objectives of the organization.

Shaheryar has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Karachi, Pakistan.

Alexis Ray

Alexis joined ZSC in February of 2011 and is another example of someone who has been promoted several times during her nine-and-a-half-year tenure with the company. She is currently an Above Restaurant Leader (ARL) overseeing three restaurants. She has worked in every position and has loved every minute of it. Her positive attitude creates a happy environment inside the four walls of any restaurant that she oversees. Born in Houston, Tx., and raised in Memphis, Tn., Alexis moved into Atlanta shortly after graduating high school in 1994. The following year. Alexis was introduced to Quick Service Restaurants, where she worked for Arby’s Restaurant for six years. After a 6-year Arby’s, she worked for a renowned financial institute’s customer service for many years before being promoted to the Fraud department. Like many of us, Alexis never thought QSR would be where she would end up at but it has become an incredible career that she loves. Alexis enjoys working in an organization that genuinely cares about its employees. She calls ZSC a family because that is what we all consider each other. She considers it a sheer joy to be working in an organization that loves and appreciates her.

Aftab Ahmed

Aftab Ahmed started his ZSC career in 2013 as a Restaurant Manager right after he moved to Atlanta. Prior to that, Aftab was a proud owner a sandwich store called, Miami sub. Aftab has over 15 years of QSR experience and has been one of the best managers in our organization. Originally from Bangladesh, Aftab moved to the USA in 2001 armed with a Master’s degree in Business from Dhaka University. Aftab was recently promoted to an Above Restaurant Leader to support the tremendous growth of ZSC and now oversees two Dunkin and one Combo location. The best part of Aftab’s job is recruiting and mentoring individuals who have the skills, talent and a passion for the business. He always highlights the good in people and works with them to overcome their shortcomings and challenges. Aftab values the importance of team management and collaboration in the workplace. Aftab takes pride in what he does and enjoys the relationship he has built with the restaurant managers in such a short period of time.

Sabita Gurung

Sabita has been a part of the ZSC family since 2013. She started her career as an assistant manager at one of the newest Dunkin locations and grew sales tremendously in the last eight years. She is a hard worker and very detail oriented. She is known for being laser focused on speed and cleanliness in her restaurant. Before joining the ZSC group, Sabita worked with two different Dunkin franchisee networks however, ZSC’s people first culture suited her the most. Originally from India, Sabita has a Bachelor’s degree in business from the university of Delhi. Comes from a military family and doesn’t shy away from hard work and challenges. She firmly believes, “great workplaces are built through the day-to-day relationships that employees experience- not a checklist of program and benefits.”

Shirley Hyde

Shirley is the newest addition to the ZSC team. She began with Dunkin in October of 2020 as a General Manager and has already helped open two new locations. Shirley comes with sixteen years of Management and Leadership skills. Before joining our team, Shirley managed a famous coffee shop where her positive vibe and love for customers made her the #1 store manager in terms of guest satisfaction in the district. After three years, Shirley decided to try something different and joined ZSC where she enjoys her early morning coffee routine. Shirley moved to Atlanta from New Orleans and is grateful for the opportunity to do what she loves. She plans to continue growing in the organization while providing the same opportunity to her team that she was provided with. Shirley’s bubbly personality is second to none in our organization.

SM Rahman (Panna)

Panna’s journey started in 2016 when he was hired as a Manager-In-Training. With his vast experience in managing business, charming attitude, good communication skills, he quickly proved that his business acumen is one of a kind. During his tenure, he has improved sales, guest experience, and speed of service making him one of the best managers in our organization. Panna is currently a Learning and Training manager and feels ZSC is a perfect place for him to share, teach and train others. Panna wakes up every day excited to share his knowledge and experiences with others thus ensuring the organization’s success. Panna arrived in the United States in 1991 and immediately starting working by passing out flyers for an electronic store in Brooklyn, NY. He later moved to Georgia and started going to College at Abraham Baldwin College in Tifton, Georgia. He graduated with honors and with three majors; Associate in Business Information Systems, Applied Sciences, and Computer Information Systems. To this day, he still remembers his first job, and he is proud of that. His mantra is – “to go higher, you have to start at the bottom. If you set your mind to it, you can do it. Take the challenge and overcome it."

Elida Schmittou

Elida possesses more than 20 years of experience working in diverse financial positions with multiple organizations in Peru and USA. Her crucial accounting and financial competencies include but are not limited to maintaining financial records, accounts receivable/payable and processing payroll. She is an effective communicator with excellent organizational, decision-making, and time management skills. Elida has a proven track record of consistently meeting and most times surpassing performance goals. Elida moved to the USA 19 years ago, is married to her husband Daniel for 17 years, and has worked with ZSC for 11 years and counting. In her current position with ZSC, Elida is responsible for leading a team and assisting in a number of accounting functions namely accounts payable, accounts receivable, inventory management, cash management and month end reconciliations. She has a firm grasp of finance and accounting as well as is very detail oriented. ZSC’s office would not be functioning at the level that it does without her.