HUNTINGTON BEACH Calif. BJ’s Restaurants Inc. co-founders Paul Motenko and Jerry Hennessy will step down from the company’s board of directors on Dec. 30 to focus on new as-yet-undisclosed ventures, officials announced Monday.
Both Motenko and Hennessy will remain significant shareholders of the publicly traded company, which operates 82 casual-dining restaurants under the names BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse or BJ’s Pizza & Grill.
“Paul and Jerry’s vision, hard work, tenacity, integrity and philanthropy have inspired all of us that have followed in their footsteps at BJ’s,” said Jerry Deitchle, chair and chief executive. “Their body of work over the past 17 years has also provided a solid foundation for BJ’s continued expansion across the country. Our entire board and our leadership team extend our most sincere thanks to Paul and Jerry for their many years of dedicated service to BJ’s, and we wish them success in their next venture.”