SAN ANTONIO Phil Costner has left his position as T.G.I. Friday's vice president of food and beverage to become vice president of purchasing at H-E-B, a 320-unit supermarket chain based in San Antonio that operates in Texas and Mexico.
Costner said that his last day at T.G.I. Friday's was July 6. He is expected to assume his new post at H-E-B in a few weeks.
H-E-B, which had sales of about $12.4 billion in 2006, according to Supermarket News, is also known for its Central Market operations, which feature hard-to-find products and offer cooking classes, wine tastings, catering and other services.
T.G.I. Friday's, based in Carrollton, Texas, is a division of Carlson Restaurants Worldwide Inc., which is owned by Minneapolis-based Carlson Cos. Carlson and its franchisees and licensees operate more than 1,000 restaurants in 56 countries, including the Pick Up Stix fast-casual Asian chain.
