Deirdre Auld

Deirdre Auld is the CEO and a partner of Coda Restaurant Group, an independently owned and operated Boston hospitality group known for unique neighborhood concepts with staying power.

Deirdre’s path into hospitality started traditionally, hosting at a neighborhood restaurant and working as a team member at Panera gave her an early taste of something she couldn’t quite name yet: the ability to create genuine moments and connections with people, even in the briefest windows of time. That passion for designing led her to study Architectural Studies and Interior Design in college, where her obsession sharpened into a more intentional understanding of how spaces shape human experience. Restaurants became an obvious destination, where design, atmosphere, and human connection collide in real time. As for management, that was less a career choice and more an undeniable calling. Naturally insubordinate, Deirdre had little patience for leaders who wielded authority without accountability or genuine investment in the people around them. After seeing how poor leadership could drive even the most talented people away, she was inspired to become the kind of leader others would want to follow.

Over the next decade, she managed restaurants across fine dining and casual full-service, developed award-winning concepts, and helped turn around struggling businesses — including spending seven years as Director of Operations at Coda Restaurant Group. In 2021, she stepped away to earn a master’s degree in Learning + Organizational Change and an executive leadership coaching certification from Northwestern University, then consulted in higher education and private equity before co-founding Tableside, a leadership development company serving hospitality and beyond. In January 2025, Deirdre returned to Coda Restaurant Group as CEO and Partner focused on growing the company and their brand.

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