Darren Spicer is a QSR growth strategist and restaurant culture consultant best known as the Founder and CEO of Clutch Coffee Bar. He launched the drive-thru brand in 2018 after prior experience at Dutch Bros, scaling it to 20 locations (and achieving 38% year-over-year growth in a franchise-dominated industry) before coming full circle and leading the company through acquisition by Dutch Bros in 2026. Clutch became recognized for its elite customer experience, best-in-class beverages, exceptional 84% loyalty rate, and community-driven marketing model.

Today, Darren runs 110 ventures and advises emerging and established brands on founder-led scaling, building high-performance teams and culture, brand building & product innovation
, growth marketing & optimization, customer loyalty, operational excellence while rapidly scaling, and scaling towards successful exits.

A passionate advocate for building people-first organizations, he serves on the advisory board at the University of Oregon and mentors student-athletes. Darren is also the founder of TimeBack Talent Staffing Agency, BDE Energy, and Cowboy MUD BBQ Rub. He’s a winner of QSR’s Top 40/40 awards and Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top 100 Innovators. His work has been featured in Fast Casual, The Food Institute, and Entrepreneur Magazine, and he is a highly sought-after speaker who has presented at industry events, including the Fast Casual Executive Summit, QSR Evolution, and ICX Summit.