Executive Movements December 2006
ATLANTA—TOM HERMAM has been elevated from finance vice president at multi-concept fast-casual operator RAVING BRANDShere to senior vice president and chief financial officer, responsible for all financial and accounting operations. Raving's brands include Moe's Southwest Grill, Mama Fu's, Doc Green's and Shane's Rib Shack.
WESTBURY, N.Y.—NATHAN'S FAMOUS INC., franchisor or licensor of 360 Nathan's Famous, Miami Subs and Kenny Rogers Roasters restaurants and operator of six outlets, said Monday its board of directors had named ERIC GATOFF chief executive officer, replacing HOWARD M. LORBER. Lorber was named executive chairman of the board. Both appointments will be effective Jan. 1, the company said. Gatoff has served as Nathan's vice president and corporate counsel since 2003. WAYNE NORBITZ will remain president and chief operating officer, Nathan's added.
WELLINGTON, Fla.—In its first venture outside of Manhattan, New York-based LEROY ADVENTURES INC., parent of TAVERN ON THE GREEN, the reputed highest-volume upscale restaurant in the nation, partnered in a deal to open a 200-seat TAVERN ON THE GREEN CAFE at the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club here this month. Tavern on the Green chief operating officer MICHAEL DESIDERIO is overseeing the new concept's debut for WELLINGTON TAVERN PARTNERS LLC. He hired MICHAEL VOGLER, former executive chef at Timpano Italian Chophouse in Orlando, Fla., to integrate Tavern signatures with lighter south Florida flavors. LeRoy Adventures formerly owned the landmark Russian Tea Room in Manhattan.
LOUISVILLE, Ky.—YUM! BRANDS INC. promoted Taco Bell president EMIL BROLICK to the new post of president of U.S. Brand Building, with responsibility for TACO BELL, PIZZA HUT and KFC. Also effective Dec. 1, Pizza Hut president PETER HEARL will move up to the new corporate post of chief operating and development officer, with oversight of all the company's operations and responsibility for Yum's LONG JOHN SILVER'S and A&W ALL AMERICAN FOOD chains. Taco Bell chief marketing officer GREG CREED, who oversaw development of its “Think Outside the Bun” campaign, will replace Brolick as president. Succeeding Hearl at the helm of Pizza Hut will be SCOTT BERGREN, who currently is Yum's corporate executive vice president and chief marketing and food innovation officer. Creed, Bergren and KFC president GREGG DEDRICK will report to Brolick, who in turn will report to Yum chief executive DAVID NOVAK. Creed's successor as marketing chief at Taco Bell was not announced. Yum did not say whether Bergren's current positions would be retained.
PLANO, Texas—METROMEDIA RESTAURANT GROUP announced it had regrouped its 321-unit BENNIGAN'S and 62-unit STEAK AND ALErestaurants into a new Metromedia Casual Dining division. The existing Metromedia Family Steakhouses division will continue to oversee the PONDEROSA and BONANZA brands. VINCE RUNCO, president of MRG's worldwide franchising, was promoted into the additional role of executive vice president and chief operating officer of the new division. CLAY DOVER, former vice president for marketing at Bennigan's, was named executive vice president and chief concept officer for Metromedia Casual Dining. Full Press Release
DALLAS—BRINKER INTERNATIONAL INC., parent to the Chili's Grill & Bar brand and other casual-dining concepts, hired GREG WALTHER as senior vice president and president of global business development, overseeing all Brinker restaurants abroad. Walther is one of the founding partners of Outback Steakhouse International L.P., which is a joint venture with Outback Steakhouse Inc. Walther succeeds WILLIAM SIMON, who left Brinker in March to join Wal-Mart. Full Press Release
LAGUNA HILLS, Calif.—MELT INC., operator and franchisor of the quick-service MELT GELATO & CREPE CAFE concept, named SCOTT M. MILLER chief financial officer. Most recently, Miller was director of finance and planning for Carlson Restaurants Worldwide. Melt Inc., based here, has 21 Melt Gelato & Crepe Cafe unit open or under construction.
ATLANTA—Former KFC presidents CHERYL BACHELDER and JOHN CRANOR have been appointed to the board of AFC ENTERPRISES INC., franchisor of the 1,845-unit Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits chain. Bachelder, now a consultant, headed KFC from 2001 to 2003. Cranor, currently chief executive of a foundation affiliated with New College of Florida in Sarasota, had the helm from 1996 to 1999. He has also served as president of Long John Silver's Restaurants, franchisor of the quick-service seafood chain now owned by KFC parent Yum! Brands of Louisville, Ky. Full Press Release
GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo.—BOB MERULLO, chief concept officer and senior vice president for RED ROBIN GOURMET BURGERS INC., is quitting after 20 years and will become an independent consultant for the 335- plus-unit casual-dining chain, based here. A replacement was not named. The company said that most of Merullo's duties will be assumed after his Dec. 31 departure by Red Robin president and chief operating officer ERIC HOUSEMAN. Merullo's oversight of the chain's marketing department will be reassigned to chairman and chief executive DENNIS MULLEN. Merullo would dedicate 75 percent of his time to advising Red Robin executives on food and beverage, purchasing, research and new product development under a contract that goes into effect upon his departure, Red Robin said Tuesday. Merullo will maintain his ownership in MARCH ROBIN LLC, a Red Robin franchisee.
COLUMBUS, Ohio—BOB EVANS FARMS INC. has appointed chief executive STEVEN A. DAVIS to the additional post of chairman of the board. Davis, who joined the company May 1, had been serving as interim chairman since the death of Robert E.H. Rabold in September. Davis previously worked for Louisville, Ky.-based Yum! Brands Inc. for 13 years. Bob Evans Farms operates 587 Bob Evans family restaurants and 105 Mimi's Cafe casual-dining units. Full Press Release
DEERFIELD, Ill.—COSI INC., the 118-unit fast-casual sandwich chain based here, named PepsiCo veteran EDWARD BACKUS chief development officer, and appointed CHRISTOPHER AMES, a former senior executive of the Patina Group and California Pizza Kitchen, to the post of chief operating officer. In addition, Cosi named GILBERT MELOTT chief people office, and PATRICK DONNELLAN vice president of strategy and international business development. All of the positions will report to Kevin Armstrong, Cosi's president and CEO. Full Press Release
DUBLIN, Ohio—WENDY'S INTERNATIONAL INC. As anticipated, awarded the titles of chief executive and president to interim CEO KERRII ANDERSON, its former chief financial officer. She replaced JACK SCHUESSLER after he resigned as CEO last spring. Schuessler also was chairman, a post now held by Jim Pickett. Wendy's said a search was underway for a permanent CFO. At age 49, she becomes the first woman chief executive at any of the Big Three burger chains. Anderson said she would use the first 100 days of her tenure to “further analyze every facet of the business” and identify profit opportunities. She also pledged to change management's short and long-term compensation programs to target those newfound goals. Full Press Release
DALLAS—As one of three appointments, CORNER BAKERY CAFE, the 90-unit fast-casual arm of IL FORNAIO (AMERICA) CORP. of Corte Madera, Calif., named TED CROFT senior vice president and chief financial officer; he was vice president of finance for Romano's Macaroni Grill. DIANA HOVEY was named Corner Bakery's senior VP of marketing; she was a consultant. BOB HARTMANN was named the chain's VP of real estate; he is a Whataburger and Darden Restaurants veteran.
ATLANTA—FOCUS BRANDS here, the ROARK CAPITAL GROUP-owned franchisor or operator of 1,400 U.S. and international Carvel, Cinnabon and Seattle's Best Coffee units, elevated marketing services vice president GARY BALES to president of its Carvel unit, and promoted growth and development vice president GEOFF HILL to president of its Cinnabon brand. Additionally, Focus promoted co-brand senior finance vice president and Cinnabon CFO LENORE KRENTZ to corporate chief administrative officer, with oversight for all finance, legal, supply chain and IT operations. Also, human resources and training director JEAN BOLAND was named vice president of human resources and leadership development. Meanwhile, in the Carvel unit, JIM SALERNO and RICHARD KEY, who previously were director of franchise operations and director of new franchise operations, respectively, were named vice presidents.
WILBRAHAM, Mass.—FRIENDLY ICE CREAM CORP. said THE LION FUND LP, a 12.7-percent stakeholder in the chain, had notified it that Lion expects to nominate two men, including the fund's chief executive, to Friendly's board of directors next year. Lion Fund said it was “concerned with the current status of the board” because all but one of its members are defendants in a pending shareholder lawsuit against the company by founder S. PRESTLEY BLAKE. The lawsuit dates back to 2003 and centers on the use of and subsequent expenses for a corporate jet used mostly by Friendly chairman DONALD N. SMITH. Still pending in Massachusetts Superior Court, the suit alleges breach of fiduciary duty and misappropriation of corporate assets. Lion Fund, based in San Antonio, said it planned to nominate its chief executive, SARDAR BIGLARI, who also serves on the board at Western Sizzlin Corp., and Lion board member PHILIP L. COOLEY. The fund said it had requested that Friendly seat the two voluntarily, but vowed that it otherwise would nominate the executives itself and solicit proxies for approval by shareholders.
CHICAGO—CHARLIE TROTTER, chef-owner of the famed CHARLIE TROTTER'S here, has agreed to open two restaurants in the Elysian Hotel and Private Residences complex slated to open on the city's exclusive Gold Coast in 2008. One outlet will be a dinner-only white-tablecloth establishment, and the other will be a casual facility offering breakfast, lunch and dinner, according to Elysian. Trotter would also oversee the 60-story complex's room service, banquet and catering operations. Trotter, who opened his nearby flagship restaurant in 1987, also operates C and Breeze r'estaurants in the One & Only Palmilla resort in Los Cabos, Mexico, and Trotter's to Go in Chicago. He has published a series of cookbooks and hosts a cooking show on some public-television stations.