Personnel Updates:
Accor North America named Didier Bosc Exec VP and CAO; Jim Amorosia is appointed CEO of Motel 6 and Studio 6.
CEC Entertainment, Inc.’s VP/Controller Darin E. Harper resigned effective 9/30/11. CEC Entertainment also announced the appointment of Scott A. McDaniel as Exec VP, Chief Marketing Officer; Mr. McDaniel will join the Company on or about 10/24/11.
Centerplate announced the appointment of Gary Prell to the post of VP of Culinary Development for the company.
Church’s Chicken named Jim Hyatt CEO; Hyatt succeeds Mel Deane and was most recently CEO at Cosí Inc.
CiCi’s Pizza named Clif Geisler as Director of Operational Systems and Rebecca Stone as Senior Director of Food and Beverage.
Cosi, Inc. appointed Chairman of the Board Mark Demilio interim CEO of the company, following the resignation of James Hyatt from the dual post of President and CEO.
DineEquity, Inc. announced the appointment of Tom Emrey as CFO, effective 9/12/11.
Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. announced that Neal Yanofsky, Dunkin’ Brands International President, will be leaving the company; Paul Reynish, formerly Baskin-Robbins International Marketing VP, is being promoted to Chief Marketing Officer Dunkin’ Brands International.
El Pollo Loco, Inc. announced the appointment of Heather Gardea, 22-year culinary veteran to the position of VP of Research & Development; she most recently was VP of Food & Beverage and VP of Marketing at Catalina Restaurant Group, Inc., parent company of Coco’s Bakery Restaurants and Carrows Restaurants.
Fazoli’s named Al Hodges as VP of Operations; Hodges joins the company from Dunkin’ Brands, where he was Regional VP.
HomeMade Pizza Co. named Allan Hickok as CEO; Mr. Hickok was most recently CEO of Redstone American Grill in Wayzata , MN
La Madeleine Country French Café promoted Phil Costner, COO, to the added position of President.
Margaritas Mexican Restaurant named Hugo Marin President.
Noble House Hotels & Resorts, Ltd. announced the promotion of Sean Mullen to Chief Sales and Marketing Officer.
O’Charley’s Inc. announced the appointment of Marc A. Buehler as Concept President for O’Charley’s, effective 9/16/11; Buehler most recently was President, CEO of Kona Grill, Inc. O’Charley’s Inc. also named R. Jeffrey Williams as its next CFO and Treasurer.
P.F. Chang’s China Bistro Inc.’s COO Richard Tasman is leaving the company at the end of the fiscal year.
Red Lion Hotels Corporation named Julie Shiflett as Exec VP and CFO effective 9/1/11.
Strategic Hotels & Resorts promoted Exec VP Richard Moreau to COO.
Sysco Corporation announced that C. Frederick Lankford, President of Sysco Eastern Maryland, has been named Senior VP of Distribution Services for the corporation effective 10/15/11.
Tavistock Restaurants named Jim Mizes as President of its Freebirds World Burrito chain.
The Wendy’s Company announced that Emil J. Brolick would join Wendy’s as President and CEO, effective 9/12/11. Brolick succeeds Roland Smith and was COO of Yum! Brands Inc. and most recently President of A&W All American Foods and Long John Silver’s.
Financial Focus:
Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores Inc. reported total revenue of $2,424,435,000 for the year ending 7/29/11; F&B sales were $1,934,049,000 (79.4%)
Farmer Bros. Co. reported net sales of $463,945,000 for the year ending 6/30/11.
SSI Holding Group Corp., parent to the Souper Salad buffet chain and the Grandy’s brand, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Vail Resorts reported net mountain and lodging revenue of $938,214,000 for the year ending 7/31/11; F&B sales were $97,937,000.
Cedar Fair announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its California ‘s Great America amusement park, located in Santa Clara , CA
The Martin Brower Company announced it has signed a letter of intent to acquire Keystone Foods’ distribution and logistics businesses in North America, Europe, the Middle East , and Asia Pacific. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year.
Yum! Brands Inc. has signed definitive agreements to sell Long John Silver’s Inc. and A&W Restaurants Inc. to two separate groups of franchisees. Long John Silver’s will be sold to LJS Partners, a consortium of franchisees and other investors, and A&W Restaurants will be sold to A Great American Brand, which Yum described as a “franchisee leader with substantial interest in A&W restaurants.” Both sales are expected to be completed in the fourth quarter, Yum said.
Industry Insight:
Chanticleer Holdings, Inc. announced that the company acquired a majority ownership stake in its three South African Hooters locations.
Chipotle Mexican Grill opened a new format, called ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen, in Washington , DC
Panda Express announced its expansion into Mexico , with its first Panda Express restaurant opening in Mexico City
Pat & Oscar’s has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, but its franchisees are vowing to remain open; the filing to liquidate the company’s assets comes as the last of the chain’s company-owned restaurants in Temecula, El Cajon and Carlsbad closed last week.
Ruth’s Hospitality Group corporate office has relocated to 1030 W Canton Ave, Ste 100 , Winter Park , FL 32789
Smashburger will make its first foray into the international market with agreements to expand into the Middle East in Kuwait , Bahrain and Saudi Arabia
Texas Roadhouse opened its first international eatery in Dubai
U.S. Foodservice announced that it has changed its name, logo and image as part of a new strategy; the foodservice distributor is now U.S. Foods and has the new tagline of “Keeping Kitchens Cooking.”
Real Estate:
Dunkin’ Donuts is targeting Phoenix , Dallas and Las Vegas Denver and Colorado Springs , CO ; Houston and Waco , TX ; Lincoln and Omaha , NE ; Oklahoma City and Tulsa , OK ; as well as Santa Fe and Albuquerque , NM Des Moines and Sioux City , IA
Famous Dave’s of America, Inc. announced that it has awarded a multi-unit franchise agreement to Famous Ribs of Canada Ltd., a subsidiary of Tribal Councils Investment Group of Manitoba Ltd. The first location is anticipated to open June 2012 in Winnipeg , MB
Mama Fu’s Asian House has signed a development agreement to build 11 new stores in San Antonio and West TX
McDonald’s Canada announced it is investing approximately $1 billion to undertake its biggest store-by-store brand transformation in the company’s 44-year Canadian history.
Muscle Maker Grill is expanding its reach to the South by securing a multi-unit franchise deal to develop 10 Muscle Maker Grill restaurants in TX.
Noodles & Company announced a new development agreement with a franchise group in Hartford , CT. Hartford County , Conn.
Quiznos is partnering with the convenience store chain Champlain Farms in VT to add about 40 Quiznos locations inside the retail stores.
Red Mango is seeking to expand to as many as 100 new locations and into other countries in 2012.
Wingstop announced the company has signed multiple development agreements that will result in 15 new restaurants in the Atlanta
Technology News:
Denny’s has rolled out a Test & Learn Management System from Applied Predictive Technologies. The solution will now allow the company to test strategic and tactical initiatives across all locations.
Domino’s Pizza announced that after just three months since its launch, the new Domino’s App for iPhone and iPod touch has achieved $1 million in sales over a single week.
Peet’s Coffee & Tea announced that it will begin accepting payments made with cards loaded into Google Wallet and MasterCardPayPass contactless cards at all of its company-owned locations by the end of October 2011.
Green Initiatives:
Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp., parent company to Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes, announced its sustainability initiatives and Green Restaurant Association certification. Garden Fresh is the largest restaurant chain in the nation to be certified by the Green Restaurant Association, an industry standard in restaurant sustainability.
KFC opened a restaurant in Indianapolis , IN
The SUBWAY restaurant chain announced the opening of five new “Green” SUBWAY Eco-Restaurants in CT, IN, and NC, each designed with environmentally friendly aspects to reduce energy, water, and waste consumption in cost effective ways.
