Applebee’s parent Dine Brands Global, Inc. appoints John Peyton as CEOApplebee’s parent Dine Brands Global, Inc. appoints John Peyton as CEO

Dine Brands Global, Inc. — parent company of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill Bar and IHOP — announced the appointment of John Peyton as the company’s new CEO on Tuesday, replacing former chief executive Steve Joyce, who announced that he was leaving the company in Feb. 2021 earlier this year. The appointment is effective Jan. 4, 2021. 

Peyton joins Dine Brands from global franchisor Realogy Franchise Group, a subsidiary of Realogy Holdings Corp., where he served as CEO for three years and as president since 2016. 

“We are pleased to announce that John Peyton will be joining Dine Brands as CEO starting in January 2021,” Richard Dahl, chairman of the Dine Brands board, said in a statement. “John’s extensive background working in the hospitality industry enables him to provide outstanding leadership and guidance as Dine Brands continues to accelerate long-term growth. We greatly appreciate Steve Joyce’s leadership and considerable contributions to Dine Brands during a critical period for the company and wish him continued success.”

Peyton has 21 years of experience leading global consumer franchises, and while at Realogy he transformed their brands, including Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, Century21, Coldwell Banker, and Corcoran Group, “through an elevated service delivery model” and helped “create momentum and opportunity for the company, franchisees and team members.”

Prior to joining Realogy, Peyton spent 17 years at Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, where he held multiple executive leadership positions, including chief marketing officer, senior vice president of global operations, and chief operations officer of the North America Hotel Division. 

“I am honored to take on this new role to spearhead Dine’s mission and drive shareholder value of the world’s most-loved restaurant brands,” John Peyton, CEO at Dine Brands said in a statement. “Together with our team members, franchisees and suppliers, I look forward to building upon the rich history of our restaurants and further creating community in hometowns all throughout the world.”

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