Domino’s Pizza Inc. said it has hired Richard “Ritch” Allison as executive vice president of international and appointed P.F. Chang’s co-chief executive Rick Federico to its board.
Allison comes to Domino’s after 13 years at global consulting firm Bain & Company Inc., where he was a partner and co-leader of the company’s restaurant practice. He succeeds Michael Lawton, who remains Domino’s chief financial officer.
“Ritch is a perfect addition to the global Domino’s team,” said Patrick Doyle, president and chief executive of the nation’s second-largest pizza chain. “I look forward to his applying his broad experience with improving the performance of other major restaurant chains to the Domino’s global footprint and helping to make our great international business even better.”
Like many restaurant brands, Domino’s is focusing much of its growth overseas. The company said at its investor conference in December that the vast majority of the 250 to 300 restaurants scheduled to open in 2011 would be outside the United States. As of the third quarter of 2010, Domino’s said its international division had posted 67 consecutive quarters of positive same-store sales and comprised 47 percent of the company’s sales.
Federico, who was elected to Domino’s board on Thursday, is chairman and co-chief executive of P.F. Chang’s China Bistro. Since joining the company in 1996, Federico has helped grow P.F. Chang’s into a multiconcept operator that generated revenue of $1.2 billion in 2010 from 197 locations of its flagship casual-dining brand and 166 Pei Wei Asian Diner fast-casual units.
Federico began his career as a manager at Steak & Ale and then co-founded Grady’s Goodtimes. Brinker International acquired Grady’s in 1989, and Federico went on to lead operations and development for the Macaroni Grill concept.
“We are extremely fortunate to have Rick joining us as a new member of our board,” said chairman David Brandon, a former chief executive of Domino’s and the current athletic director at the University of Michigan. “His incredible depth of experience in the restaurant industry will be a tremendous resource to us as we move forward. He adds strength to our already talent-rich board.”
Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Domino’s Pizza operates or franchises 9,351 restaurants worldwide.
CORRECTION: Ritch Allison, Domino's new executive vice president of international, was misidentified in the headline of an earlier version of this story.
Contact Mark Brandau at [email protected].
