executive for the last 19 years,” he said. “I am proud of how we consistently focused on providing gracious hospitality and gold standard service to our guests, evolved to meet our guests’ and team members’ changing needs, and collectively helped establish BJ’s as a leader in the casual dining industry. Under the leadership of Brad, the BJ’s board and executive leadership team, along with our thousands of incredible managers and team members in our restaurants across the country and in our Restaurant Support Center, I am confident BJ’s will continue to successfully execute on our growth initiatives and further enhance long-term shareholder value.”
Bloomin’ Brands
Bloomin’ Brands named Michael Spanos as its new CEO, succeeding David Deno, who announced his pending retirement in May 2024. Spanos joins the company from Delta Air Lines where he served as executive vice president and COO. In that role, he led the global operations/customer experience team of 90,000 employees. Amongst his accomplishments there, Spanos helped advance Delta’s performance as the company continues to lead the industry across all operating metrics. “We have found an ideal strategist, operations and cultural leader in Mike,” said Michael Mohan, chairman of the board for Bloomin’ Brands. “Our board believes that his experience operating complex, multi-unit businesses will benefit our iconic, founder-inspired brands. He has a customer-first mindset for leading established organizations through challenging environments. We look forward to his contributions to Bloomin’ Brands.”
“It is a privilege to be part of the Bloomin’ Brands team,” Spanos said. “We have such a classic set of heritage brands that my family and I have enjoyed over many years. I am excited to work together with our team members to deliver an outstanding guest experience. I thank David Deno for his leadership of our people and look forward to a smooth transition.”
“On behalf of the board, I thank David Deno for his leadership for the past 12 years, including the past five as chief executive officer,” Mohan added. “He leaves the company with a strengthened financial foundation, a strong balance sheet and a leadership team dedicated to delivering long-term sustainable growth to our shareholders. We are grateful for his dedication.”
Prior to his service at Delta, Spanos led Six Flags Entertainment as CEO and president, and spent more than 25 years at PepsiCo and the Pepsi Bottling Group in various positions including president greater China, CEO of Asia Middle East and North Africa sector and chief customer officer of North American Beverages.
Checkers
Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc., parent company of Checkers & Rally’s drive-thru restaurants, announced that Chris Tebben has been named president and CEO. Tebben succeeds Frances Allen, who announced in April that she was
stepping down as president and CEO to focus on board work. Tebben joins Checkers & Rally’s with a robust career spent
in the restaurants and consumer packaged goods sectors, serving in leadership roles with such powerhouse brands as Mars, Starbucks, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, and Pizza Hut, among others. His considerable experience includes leading strategic planning, operations, restaurant development, multi-unit franchise, retail marketing, and category management in both turnaround and growth environments across Fortune 100 and private equity-owned organizations. “After a thorough search process, we are very pleased to welcome Chris to the Checkers & Rally’s organization,” said David Barr, board member. “His comprehensive experience in nearly every aspect of restaurant leadership, coupled with his proven track record of delivering sales, traffic, and unit growth, make him a perfect fit to take these brands to the next level. On behalf of the entire Checkers & Rally’s family, I would like to thank Frances Allen for her leadership and dedicated service, and we wish her the best on all her future plans.”
“I am fortunate to be inheriting the strong foundation that Frances and the team have put in place, and I am honored that the board has entrusted me to steward the Checkers & Rally’s brands into their next chapter of profitable growth,” Tebben said. “I couldn’t be more excited to lead these two iconic brands that have endured for over 40 years by serving up craveable burgers and the best fries in the business, while delivering a tremendous value proposition for both customers and franchisees. As I look to the future, I believe Checkers & Rally’s is primed to exceed consumers’ rising expectations when it comes to hyper-convenience, and I look forward to working with the team to continue to innovate in every area of our business.”
Houston TX Hot Chicken
Houston TX Hot Chicken (HHC) named Brian Simowitz as its new president.
Simowitz has spent the last 18 years on the franchise support side of the restaurant industry. Most recently, he served as vice president of operations for Slim Chickens, which has more than 300 locations. Before that, he spent eight years on Applebee’s international team growing and supporting the brand in numerous countries. Additionally, he and his wife, Kelly, were owners of several restaurant brands in Minnesota.
“I’m thrilled to join Houston TX Hot Chicken and be part of its exciting rapid growth in the fast-casual segment,” Simowitz said. “I’m truly energized by the great vision of our founder Edmond Barseghian. His passion for delivering bold flavors, great service, and a unique dining experience has perfectly laid the foundation for HHC. I’m excited to work alongside him, as well as collaborate with Andrew K. Smith and the great team from Savory Fund who have a deep expertise in scaling high-growth brands.”
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