Huddle House names first COOHuddle House names first COO

Huddle House Inc. has named Tyrone Counts its first chief operating officer, effective June 17.

Counts will be responsible for leading the family-dining chain’s future sales and unit growth, the company said in a statement.

Counts was most recently regional operations director at Tim Hortons, where he led new product initiatives and was responsible for adding restaurant units in the U.S.

“His track record in improving store-level profitability, delivering operations execution, enhancing the customer experience and upgrading facilities translates perfectly to the needs of the Huddle House brand and our franchise partners,” said chief executive Michael Abt, who joined Huddle House from Arby’s in October 2012.

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Counts joins the executive team at a time when Huddle House is undergoing a brand refresh. The company has launched a redesigned unit model, which includes a signature tower entrance, plush seating and a contemporary color palette. According to the company, redesigned units have seen a sales boost of 15 percent or more.

Huddle House expects to add 135 new locations during the next four years, the company said in a statement, with much of the growth focused in the Southeast and Texas.

Atlanta-based Huddle House has 400 units systemwide.

Contact Erin Dostal at [email protected].
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