Huntington Beach, Calif. — Gregory A. Trojan, chief executive officer of BJ’s Restaurants, Inc., will retire effective September 1, 2021, at which time BJ’s current president and chief financial officer, Gregory S. Levin, will be appointed president and chief executive officer. Trojan is expected to continue to serve on the board of directors following his retirement, and Levin is expected to be appointed to the board. In addition, the company’s vice president of strategy and financial planning and analysis, Thomas A. Houdek, will be appointed senior vice president and chief financial officer, also effective September 1, 2021.
“On behalf of our board of directors, we sincerely thank Greg Trojan for his nearly 9 years of outstanding service to the company as our CEO,” says Pete Bassi, the company’s lead independent director. “During his tenure, Greg was instrumental in helping steer BJ’s through significant changes in our business, while implementing a number of menu enhancements and new operational practices. He also greatly strengthened our foundation, scale and geographic diversity, which we will continue to leverage for accelerated near and long term growth. We look forward to Greg continuing to serve on BJ’s board as we will continue to benefit from his deep knowledge of the company and the restaurant industry. We wish him the very best in his much deserved retirement.”
Levin has served as the company’s president, CFO and secretary since January 2018 and as the company’s CFO since joining BJ’s in September 2005. Prior to joining the company, he served as chief financial officer and secretary of SB Restaurant Company, a privately held company that operated the Elephant Bar Restaurants, from February 2004 to August 2005. He also served in number of roles at California Pizza Kitchen from 1996 to 2004, most recently as vice president, chief financial officer and secretary.
“Given his long tenure, Greg [Levin] knows BJ’s intimately and has helped to advocate for and foster the values and principles that we stand for as a restaurant concept and company,” says Jerry Deitchle, chairman of BJ’s Restaurants. “He is ideally suited to become our next CEO.”
On Houdek’s appointment, Levin says: “Since joining BJ’s in 2019, Tom has proven to be an outstanding strategic finance executive. I look forward to continuing to work closely with him as our roles transition.” Houdek previously served for 5 years in various finance and strategy positions at the Yum! Brands corporate office and its Taco Bell and KFC concepts.
BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (BJ’s) is a national brand with brewhouse roots and a menu where craft matters. BJ’s has been a pioneer in the craft brewing world since 1996. Founded in 1978, BJ’s owns and operates 212 casual dining restaurants in 29 states. All restaurants offer dine-in, takeout, delivery and large party catering. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, one of its 212 restaurants remains temporarily closed. For more information, visit http://www.bjsrestaurants.com.
SOURCE: BJ’s Restaurants, Inc.