LOS ANGELES uWink Inc., the entertainment-restaurant startup, said it strengthened its management team with the promotion of John Kaufman to chief restaurant and development officer and the appointment of John Blake as director of restaurant operations.
Kaufman, formerly uWink's director of operations, helped to launch the uWink concept with chief executive Nolan Bushnell, who also founded and the Atari Corp. computer-games company and the Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theater concept, both of which he eventually sold. Bushnell and Kaufman opened the first uWink bistro in Woodland Hills, Calif., last year. Two more are scheduled to open in the Los Angeles area next year.
Blake comes to uWink from Wood Ranch BBQ and Grill, where he was vice president of operations. He previously spent 17 years with California Pizza Kitchen.
