Cheesecake Factory taps ex-Mimi’s Cafe CEO Bendel as president, COOCheesecake Factory taps ex-Mimi’s Cafe CEO Bendel as president, COO

CALABASAS HILLS Calif. The Cheesecake Factory Inc. on Tuesday named Russ Bendel president and chief operating officer of its restaurant division, effective Sept. 3.

Bendel, 52, resigned last week as president and chief executive of the Tustin, Calif.-based Mimi’s Cafe chain, effective at the end of August. He had led that division of Columbus, Ohio-based Bob Evans Farms Inc. for six years.

Cheesecake Factory said Bendel also will serve as an executive officer of the Calabasas Hill-based parent corporation, which is a major producer of wholesale baked goods at two production facilities in addition to operating 126 namesake restaurants, nine Grand Lux Cafe outlets and one limited-menu Cheesecake Factory Express. Licensees operate two Cheesecake Factory Bakery Cafe outlets.

Before his stint with Mimi’s Cafe, Bendel was head of operations for OSI Restaurant Partners Inc. and was a joint-venture partner in a California franchise group of its Outback Steakhouse chain. He also served as president of OSI’s fine-dining Roy’s restaurant chain.