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NRN names 2009 Golden Chain winners

NRN names 2009 Golden Chain winners

DALLAS Nation’s Restaurant News will honor six multi-unit restaurant executives with Golden Chain awards during the 50th annual Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators, or MUFSO, Conference to be held here at the Hilton Anatole Hotel from Oct. 4-6.

The 2009 Golden Chain award recipients are Chuck Fallon, president of Burger King Corp.; Phil Friedman, chairman and chief executive of McAlister’s Corp.; James Greco, chief executive of Bruegger’s Bagels; Jeffrey Harvey, president and chief executive of Burgerville; Randy Kibler, president and chief executive of Bojangles’ Famous Chicken ‘n Biscuits; and Cameron Mitchell, president and chief executive of Cameron Mitchell Restaurants.

“Outstanding leadership skills are paramount to running a successful company regardless of the economic times,” said Tom Larranaga, publisher of Nation’s Restaurant News. “This year’s Golden Chain Award honorees are a testament to keeping their organizations focused and their employees dedicated to providing customers with excellent service and the highest quality dining experience, resulting in solid financial performance for their companies during very challenging economic times.”

The Golden Chain award winners will be celebrated by the industry during the Golden Anniversary Celebration on Monday, Oct. 5, and the honorees will participate in an interactive panel discussion on Tuesday, Oct. 6, which is sponsored by American Express.

“The success and innovation these outstanding leaders have achieved is truly inspiring,” said Curtis L. Wilson, vice president and general manager, restaurant and hotel National Client Group for The American Express Company. “We look forward to celebrating their significant achievements at MUFSO.”

Chuck Fallon joined Burger King in 2006. As president of Burger King North America, Fallon is responsible for overseeing Burger King’s U.S. and Canadian operations and reports directly to Burger King chief executive John W. Chidsey. Previously, Fallon was executive vice president of revenue generation for Cendant Car Rental Group Inc., the parent company of Budget Rent A Car and Avis Rent A Car. Miami-based Burger King’s 2008 systemwide sales were over $13 billion.

The fast-casual McAlister’s Deli concept began in a converted gas station in Oxford, Miss., in 1989 and quickly became one of America’s fastest-growing, privately owned companies. In 1999 veteran chain operator Phil Friedman became president and chief executive of McAlister’s Corp. and has since grown the deli concept to 300 units, 262 of which are franchised. The concept has 20 more projected openings and 2008 system wide sales of $300 million.

When Bruegger’s Bagels was founded in 1983, bagels were considered an ethnic food and at the time less than one-third of Americans had ever tasted one. The company expanded the concept from a traditional bagel bakery into a quick-service shop with custom spreads and sandwiches. James Greco joined Bruegger’s Bagels as chief executive in 2003, and the Burlington, Vt.-based company has since expanded to 256 units boasting an updated New England farmhouse decor and an expanded menu of breads, wraps and sandwiches.

Jeff Harvey joined Burgerville parent The Holland Inc. in 2004 and became Burgerville’s president and chief executive in January 2008. The Vancouver, Wash.-based chain is known for pursuing sustainable business practices and serving fresh food purchased from local businesses. Those socially responsible initiatives make sense for the company’s culture and finances, and the chain has grown to 39 units, all company owned, with annual systemwide sales of $49 million.

Randy Kibler was a 37-year veteran of the quick-service restaurant industry when he took over as president and chief executive of Charlotte, N.C.-based Bojangles’ Restaurants Inc. in 2007. Kibler began his restaurant career in 1970 as an hourly employee at a Hardee’s in Columbia, S.C. Bojangles’ was founded in 1977 with a menu centered on spicy, Cajun-style chicken and buttermilk biscuits. Today it operates 430 stores in the United States and abroad.

Cameron Mitchell went without a paycheck for 14 months while putting together his first restaurant, Cameron’s, in the northwest corner of Columbus, Ohio. The contemporary American bistro was just the beginning, and since 1993 Cameron Mitchell Restaurants has grown to comprise 15 units and seven different concepts with locations in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Florida and Arizona. The Columbus-based company remains privately held and recorded total sales in 2008 of $82 million.

Choose from one of our six Golden Chain honorees to vote for the Nation’s Restaurant News Operator of the Year Award winner. To cast your vote, visit www.MUFSO.com and click on the VOTE for Operator of the Year link. The winner will be announced at the MUFSO Golden Anniversary Celebration on Monday, Oct. 5.

For more information on MUFSO, visit www.MUFSO.com or call 212-756-5120.

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