Thursday, November 27, 2025
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Smalls Sliders® Expands Executive Leadership Team

by Katie Lee

Atlanta — Smalls Sliders has made a series of leadership appointments. The company has named Ryan Crumley as its new chief development officer and promoted Michael Alberici to chief marketing officer. These two additions round out CEO Charles Watson’s executive team. Additionally, the company has promoted Adam Roof to vice president of finance. He will oversee financial planning, forecasting and scalable systems designed to support the company’s rapidly growing franchise network. Crumley most recently served as chief growth officer at Tidal Wave Auto Spa, where he helped grow the company …

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P.F. Chang’s Names New Chief Executive Officer

by Katie Lee

Scottsdale, Ariz. — P.F. Chang’s has hired Jim Mazany as its new chief executive officer, effective immediately. Mazany succeeds Brad Hill and will lead the company into its next phase of growth, innovation and global expansion. Mazany is a proven leader in scaling restaurant brands, driving operational excellence and delivering engaging guest experiences across some of the most recognized names in the restaurant industry. Most recently, he served as chairman and CEO of Rosa Mexicano, Yardbird and Shell Shack, where he spearheaded brand expansion and elevated operational performance as operating …

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Sweetgreen Grows “Sweetlane” Footprint with First-Ever Infinite Kitchen Drive-Thru

by Katie Lee

Costa Mesa, Calif. — Sweetgreen, a mission-driven restaurant brand serving healthy food at scale, will open its first-ever Infinite Kitchen sweetlane location in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Nov. 18. The new restaurant marks an evolution in Sweetgreen’s reimagining of fast food — blending its in-store hospitality with the efficiency of its Infinite Kitchen technology and the added convenience of a drive-up sweetlane for digital customers. First introduced as a pilot concept in 2022, the sweetlane was designed to offer a seamless pickup experience for digital orders. With more than a …

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BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. Names New CFO

by Katie Lee

Huntington Beach, Calif. — BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. has appointed Todd Wilson as chief financial officer, effective Dec. 15, 2025. Most recently and since November 2022, he was the CFO of Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. where he played an integral role in improving restaurant-level margins and achieving improved financial results, while driving effective communication with the investment community. Prior to Red Robin, from 2018 to 2022, Wilson was CFO of Hopdoddy Burger Bar, where he engineered significant operating margin expansion, doubled unit count through organic growth & acquisition, and completed …

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Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. CFO to Depart; New COO is Named

by Katie Lee

Englewood, Colo. — Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc., a full-service restaurant chain serving high-quality gourmet burgers in a family-friendly atmosphere, has announced that Todd Wilson, chief financial officer, will depart the company on Dec. 12, 2025. Red Robin has begun a formal search to identify qualified candidates to fill the CFO position. “On behalf of everyone at Red Robin and our board of directors, I would like to thank Todd for his many contributions during his tenure as CFO,” says Dave Pace, president and chief executive officer. “The future of …

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High Impact

by Katie Lee

— By Tom Dawson — The true cost of a roof leak. When most businesses think about the cost of a roof leak, they typically focus on the expense associated with the roofing contractor who comes out and fixes the roof. However, leading brands are beginning to look deeper — quantifying the impact of roof leaks to your organization is not just an issue for the facilities team, but is a challenge that impacts culture, operations and guest experience. For hospitality groups like Brinker International, the impact of a roof …

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RBI Names New President of Popeyes and COO of Burger King

by Katie Lee

Miami — According to CEO Josh Kobza, Restaurant Brands International (RBI) has made two key leadership appointments.  Peter Perdue has been appointed president of Popeyes, U.S. and Canada, succeeding Jeff Klein who will be leaving the company. Perdue, a 12-year RBI veteran, most recently served as chief operating officer of Burger King U.S. & Canada, where he was instrumental in the brand’s Reclaim the Flame operations turnaround. His experience spans operations, franchising and finance, including leadership as regional vice president for Burger King in the Asia Pacific region. Nicolas (Nico) Henrich has been appointed …

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Parts Town Honors 10 Technicians for Excellence in the Foodservice Equipment Industry

by Katie Lee

Addison, Ill. — Parts Town, a technology innovator and distributor of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) foodservice parts, HVAC parts and residential appliance parts, has named the 10 final recipients of its 2025 Technician Scholarship Award program at this year’s Commercial Food Equipment Service Association (CFESA) Annual Conference. CFESA is the leading trade association dedicated to advancing the commercial food equipment service industry through training, advocacy and professional development. Since the launch of the program in 2022, Parts Town has awarded more than $85,000 in scholarships, including more than $22,000 in …

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Denny’s Corporation to be Acquired in $620 Million Transaction

by Katie Lee

Spartanburg, S.C., and New York — Denny’s Corporation, owner and operator of Denny’s Inc. and Keke’s Inc., has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by a group consisting of TriArtisan Capital Advisors LLC, an established New York-based private equity investment firm and experienced investor in global restaurant and hospitality assets; Treville Capital Group, a leading investment firm focused on alternative assets; and Yadav Enterprises, Inc., owner-operator of approximately 550 restaurants nationwide and one of the largest Denny’s franchisees, in an all-cash transaction with an enterprise value of approximately …

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construction and designfranchise developmentNewspeoplerestaurants

Church’s Texas Chicken® Appoints New Chief Development Officer

by Katie Lee

Atlanta — Church’s Texas Chicken®, one of the largest quick-service chicken restaurant chains in the world, has appointed Bobby Morena as chief development officer, effective Nov. 3, 2025. He joins the company from GoTo Foods. In his new role, Morena will lead all aspects of Church’s domestic development strategy, including franchise sales, real estate, design and construction, with a focus on accelerating the expansion of the brand across the U.S. Morena will report to Roland Gonzalez, CEO and president. Morena has more than 25 years of experience in franchise development …

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