Captain D’s Seafood Kitchen tapped Huddle House veteran Philip M. Greifeld as the quick-service seafood chain’s new president and chief executive, the company said Monday.
Greifeld will assume the reins at Nashville, Tenn.-based Captain D’s on Sept. 13. He replaces David Head, who last month was named president and chief executive of O’Charley’s Inc., parent to the O’Charley’s, Ninety Nine Restaurants and Stoney River Legendary Steaks casual-dining brands.
“Phil is a hands-on, engaged leader with a strong strategic execution skill set and a clear track record in positioning restaurant businesses competitively in the market,” said Chris Metz, managing director at Sun Capital Partners, the private-equity firm that acquired the 539-unit Captain D’s earlier this year from Sagittarius Brands Inc., another private investment firm. “We are excited about his proven talents and are confident that he will succeed in building upon Captain D’s strong market reputation.”
A 20-year foodservice veteran, Greifeld served as president and chief executive of the Atlanta-based Huddle House chain for more than 10 years. The 420-unit family-dining chain reported earlier Monday that its former CEO had resigned his post “to pursue other interests.”
“We are thankful for Phil Greifeld’s commitment to the Huddle House brand throughout his long tenure and we wish him success in his new endeavor,” said Ken Keymar, a Huddle House board member and former chief executive of Vicorp Restaurants Inc., who has assumed the company’s CEO duties on an interim basis.
Greifeld said he is excited about his new post at the Captain D’s brand.
“I look forward to working closely with Captain D’s management and associates on providing our customers with the best possible service and experience,” he said. “I am excited about the brand and its rich history and opportunities to further grow the company — from expanding its market presence or introducing new menu items to exploring innovative store concepts.”
Before exiting Huddle House, Greifeld spearheaded the chain’s revamp into a more modern version of a 24-hour diner. The systemwide redesign featured increased technology, the installation of more cost-efficient kitchen equipment, better-quality furniture and lighting fixtures and a more robust menu composed of 30-percent more breakfast items.
Contact Elissa Elan at [email protected].
