Michael Cleland lived in Massachusetts for most of his life, where he earned an A.S. in Culinary Arts. He then went on to get a B.S. degree at the University of Massachusetts at Boston for management, concentrating in accounting. Once he was out of college, he has worked as a General Manager, Trainer, and Mentor for more than 23 years, at Au Bon Pain for 13 years, and at Starbucks Coffee for an additional 10 years.

Michael moved to Florida for a new opportunity to open up a BurgerFi, partnering with the Falcones and NDM Hospitality Services in 2013. He served as a managing partner at our 17th Street Causeway BurgerFi, then Director of Operations for the BurgerFi division, managing seven restaurants, before joining FA Retail as General Manager of Plantation Walk in South Florida.