SAVANNAH, Ga. (March 10, 2025) – Parker’s Kitchen – a nationally acclaimed convenience and food service company that was honored as a USA TODAY Top Workplace – recently hired convenience store industry leader Darrin Samaha as Vice President of Marketing. In his new role, Samaha develops and executes the overall marketing strategy for Parker’s Kitchen, driving brand awareness, customer engagement, loyalty and growth through digital marketing, promotions, merchandising and customer experience optimization.
A high-performing marketing expert with a passion for building successful brands, Samaha brings more than 20 years of marketing, brand, and advertising experience to his new position. Prior to joining Parker’s Kitchen, he served as the Vice President of Marketing for an established convenience store company, where he led consumer-facing marketing initiatives across more than 400 corporately owned and operated stores under two different brands. During his tenure, he won numerous marketing awards, including Best Loyalty Program Launch and Best Customer Engagement.
Earlier in his career, Samaha founded Blue Coda, Inc., a boutique creative agency in Cambridge, Mass., where he focused on brand design and digital advertising. As the Chief Creative Officer, he worked with noteworthy companies and institutions, including Home Depot, Virgin, Liberty Mutual, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
“Darrin Samaha is a highly talented marketing leader with a proven track record of success and a deep understanding of convenience store marketing,” said Parker’s Kitchen CEO Brandon Hofmann. “We’re excited to welcome him to our team and know that he will be instrumental in helping us expand the Parker’s Kitchen brand to new markets.”
Originally from Boston, Mass., Samaha earned his MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and his B.A. in Human Factors Psychology from Tufts University. He is a graduate of the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) Marketing Leadership Program and is a NACS|Impact 21-Certified Convenience Category Manager.
Samaha is a member of NACS, NACS National Advisory Group, the Association of National Advertisers and AdAge. He currently serves on NACS Content Committee and Convenience Store Petroleum (CSP) C-StoreTec Advisory Board, which provides strategic guidance, insight and recommendations to tackle the biggest technology needs within the c-store industry.
Parker’s Kitchen is currently in the midst of an ambitious expansion and plans to expand into new markets including Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Jacksonville, Fla.; and Columbia, S.C. The company employs nearly 1,800 team members throughout Georgia and South Carolina and completes more than a million transactions weekly. Parker’s Kitchen was named the Convenience Store Chain of the Year by Convenience Store Decisions, which is the industry’s highest honor, and has been honored by Food and Wine as one of America’s Best Convenience Stores and by Convenience Store News as the Convenience Foodservice Leader of the Year. Since its founding in Midway, Ga., in 1976, Parker’s Kitchen has become a nationally acclaimed company and was honored as a USA TODAY Top Workplace in 2024.
ABOUT PARKER’S KITCHEN:
Honored by USA TODAY as a Top Workplace, Parker’s Kitchen is strategically redefining the nation’s convenience store industry, offering customers high-quality products, freshly prepared food and superior customer service at retail stores throughout Georgia and South Carolina. Proudly headquartered in Savannah, Ga., Parker’s Kitchen has a commitment to exceeding customer expectations and has repeatedly been recognized as one of the nation’s leading convenience store and foodservice companies. The company serves world-famous hand-breaded Southern Fried Chicken Tenders as well as made-from-scratch mac ‘n’ cheese, a breakfast bar and daily specials. The popular Parker’s Rewards loyalty program, which includes more than 300,000 members, has saved customers more than $15 million to date. Featured on Inc. 5000’s list of the fastest growing companies in America seven times and honored as the Convenience Store Decisions Chain of the Year, Parker’s Kitchen employs nearly 1,800 team members and completes more than one million transactions weekly. Learn more: parkerskitchen.com.
