Spartanburg, S.C. — Denny’s Corporation, owner and operator of Denny’s Inc. and Keke’s Inc., has hired Pankaj Patra as chief digital and technology officer (CDTO). This is a newly created enterprise role that will include support for Denny’s and Keke’s. Patra, who joins Denny’s from Brinker International, will be responsible for accelerating Denny’s capabilities across all specialties within the digital, technology and information functions.
“Our restaurant teams and our guests rely on technology to enable a seamless experience, which makes the work that our IT team does absolutely critical,” says Kelli Valade, CEO, Denny’s. “We are excited to add Pankaj to the team to help us build on the solid foundation already in place, while leading us in identifying new, relevant and innovative solutions to serve our guests, employees and franchisees in the future.”
Patra comes to Denny’s from Brinker International, Inc., where he served as senior vice president and chief information officer, responsible for overseeing IT and data security for the company and its restaurant brands. He brings 25 years of experience as an innovative enterprise technology architect, digital strategist and information technology leader.
Patra is based in Dallas and will assume the position on October 30, 2023. Michael Furlow, Denny’s executive vice president and chief information officer, will remain on staff through the end of the year to support the transition. For more information, visit www.dennys.com.
Denny’s Corporation is one of America’s largest full-service restaurant chains based on number of restaurants. As of June 28, 2023, the company consisted of 1,646 restaurants, 1,572 of which were franchised and licensed restaurants and 74 of which were company operated. Denny’s Corporation consists of the Denny’s brand and the Keke’s brand. As of June 28, 2023, Denny’s had 1,591 global restaurants and Keke’s had 55 restaurants.
SOURCE: Denny’s Corporation