Executive Movements April 2007
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — VICTOR TIFFANY, former BORGATA HOTEL CASINO & SPA vice president of food and beverage, has been named senior vice president of concept development for TARSADIA HOTELS, based here. Once a 15- year veteran of the Myriad Restaurant Group, based in New York, Tiffany's first project will be the planned fall opening of a 420-room Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego, to be managed by Tarsadia. The hotel will include a Nobu restaurant, one of Myriad's concepts, and a nightclub by Rande Gerber. Tarsadia owns and operates 20 hotels nationwide and has six under development, including the San Diego Hard Rock property. Full Press Release
DALLAS — DAVID O. CORRIVEAU, the Dave of DAVE & BUSTER'S, has stepped down as president and director of the 46- unit dining-and-games chain. A securities filing Wednesday said Corriveau left the company March 16. He had been on sabbatical since last fall, after Dave & Buster's was purchased by an affiliate of Wellspring Capital Management LLC of New York. Cofounder and former chief executive JAMES “BUSTER” CORLEY left the company last September. Corley and Corriveau founded the restaurant-entertainment chain in Dallas in 1982.
WILBRAHAM, Mass. — FRIENDLY ICE CREAM CORP. has appointed KEVIN MCNAMARA to the newly created position of senior director for organization and management development. He will be responsible for management assessment and development, performance measurement, career development, human resource planning and management succession, and HR-related services for franchisees. McNamara had been vice president of training for Dunkin' Brands for the past eight years.
MADISON, Ga. — AVADO BRANDS, parent of the 95-unit DON PABLO'S and 22-unit HOPS casual-dining chains, has named PAUL SEIDMAN senior vice president of research and development, purchasing and quality control. He will join the company April 2. Seidman most recently was vice president of food and beverage procurement for Cosi Inc. Full Press Release
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Top executives of struggling APPLEBEE'S INTERNATIONAL will be paid 2006 bonuses based on achieving only 43.6 percent of their performance targets for the year, the company disclosed Tuesday in a securities filing. It also said that chief financial officer STEVEN LUMPKIN had been given the additional title of chief strategic officer. The cash bonuses awarded were $288,218 for president and chief executive DAVE GOEBBEL, $176,035 for Lumpkin, $99,190 for chief people officer STAN SWORD and $88,493 for executive vice president of operations CARIN STUTZ. Applebee's compensation committee approved the awards March 14, but it also tightened the company's policy for personal use of corporate aircraft, limiting it to medical emergencies or “extreme hardship.” Breeden Capital, a 5-percent Applebee's stakeholder that is seeking four of the company's 12 board seats, has criticized what it said were dozens of personal flight by executives last year.- BOSTON — WELLDUNN RESTAURANT GROUP has named TINDARO LOSURDO corporate chef. LoSurdo, who most recently was executive chef at the Smith & Wollensky steakhouse here, joins two other Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group veterans: WellDunn founder and CEO JIM DUNN, who was SWRG's president and chief operating officer, and DAVE TERRY, SWRG's former vice president. WellDunn's first restaurant, the PRIME BLUE GRILLE steak and seafood concept, is expected to debut in Miami in June. The company expects to open more than 15 outlets nationwide. Prime Blue Grille will offer organic, corn-fed, source-verified beef and feature a meat and seafood display, raw bar, retail market and an exhibition kitchen.
DEERFIELD, Ill. — Sandwich chain operator and franchisor COSÌ INC. has named BOB MERRITT, the former 16-year chief financial officer of Outback Steakhouse's parent company, interim chief executive officer of the Deerfield-based company. He succeeds KEVIN ARMSTRONG, who resigned for health reasons. Così, which operates 110 fast-casual sandwich shops and franchises 19 more to others, said its board had commenced the search for a full-time replacement for Armstrong. No details were disclosed about the nature of Armstrong's health issues. Until a replacement is found, Così's day-to-day operations will be overseen by Merritt, who has served on Così's board. Merritt resigned from Outback's parent, now called OSI Restaurant Partners Inc., in April 2005 over what he suggested was the unwarranted intrusiveness of business regulators and the climate of suspicion they provoked regarding corporate accounting ethics. At the time, casual-dining companies were grappling with changes in accounting procedures for restaurant leases, which had substantial impacts on earnings. After leaving Outback, Merritt had for the most part limited his foodservice involvements to serving on Cosi's board. Full Press Release
DENVER — In his first major move since taking the helm of QUIZNOS SUBS, former Burger King chief executive GREGG BRENNEMAN has hired STEVE PROVOST, a former head of marketing for Yum! Brands Inc., as Quiznos' executive vice president and chief marketing officer. Provost was a speechwriter for PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH during his unsuccessful campaign against BILL CLINTON in the 1992 presidential election. Full Press Release In addition, Brenneman named MICHAEL ELLIOTT, founder of the Peak Franchise Capital franchising and restaurant advisory firm, executive vice president of franchise owner assistance. Provost, whose 18 years with Yum culminated in his serving as chief marketing and food innovation officer, will be responsible for building the Quiznos brand worldwide. Elliot, who worked in franchising and business development with Yum and Burger King, will spearhead Quiznos' effort to create assistance programs for franchisees, including strategies to improve their profits. Full Press Release