BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Former Harvard University women’s water polo captain and current Dutch Bros. Chief Executive Officer Christine Barone was a guest on the April 22 episode of the Corporate Competitor podcast hosted by longtime Associate Editor for Sports Illustrated and 12-time New York Times best-selling author Don Yaeger.
Barone, who received the 2026 Restaurant Business Restaurant Leader of the Year award during the Restaurant Leadership Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona, on April 19-22, joined Dutch Bros in February 2023 as President and was elevated to both President and Chief Executive Officer in January 2024.
She has more than a decade of food service and beverage leadership experience.
Prior to joining the company, she served as Chief Executive Officer of True Food Kitchen, a high growth restaurant and lifestyle brand, beginning in August 2016. From February 2011 to August 2016, Barone held various leadership roles at Starbucks, including as Senior Vice President of Food, Licensed Stores and Evenings. Prior to joining Starbucks, she spent 10 years as a Principal with Bain & Company, where she advised leaders of retail, consumer and technology businesses on strategy, marketing, organization and operations. Barone began her career as an investment banker at Raymond James.
A board member at Yelp, Barone – who had never played water polo prior to joining the Crimson – holds a Bachelor of Arts. in applied mathematics from Harvard University (1995) and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA, 2000) from Harvard Business School.
Highlights of the conversation include:
- It is not about being the most valuable player. It is about creating the most valuable team.
- Why the “zone of discomfort” is where real leadership growth happens
- How to set goals just beyond what seems possible—and why trust makes them achievable
- Why the jobs we don’t like are often the ones with the most to teach us
For more on Barone’s path to Dutch Bros, read a profile on RestaurantBusinessOnline.com.
