Long John Silver's has named industry veteran Brian Unger chief operating officer, the company said Wednesday.
Unger was most recently COO at Einstein Noah Restaurant Group Inc., where he worked with Long John Silver’s recently appointed CEO James O’Reilly.
Unger succeeds Forrest Ragsdale, Long John Silver’s acting COO, who remains with the brand’s Louisville, Ky.-based parent company LSJ Partners LLC as vice president and chief legal counsel.
"We were very methodical in our search for the right COO candidate," O'Reilly said in a statement. "Because of my previous experience working with Brian, I'm confident in his character and his ability to deliver the same impressive results to Long John Silver's that he's achieved throughout his career."
Before joining Einstein Noah, Unger worked with McDonald’s Corp. for more than 25 years. He served in a number of positions, including senior vice president of McDonald's USA and vice president of McDonald's Restaurants of Canada.
Unger noted that he and O’Reilly have similar leadership styles.
“We're passionate about the brand and ready to build upon the great success that Long John Silver's has had domestically and internationally while igniting change that will make it the best seafood restaurant in the quick-service category," he said in a statement.
In the most recent Nation’s Restaurant News Top 100 census, Long John Silver’s ranked No. 60 in U.S. systemwide foodservice sales, booking $663.6 million for the fiscal year ended December 2013, a decrease from $732 million the previous year.
In 2011, Long John Silver’s was sold by Yum! Brands Inc. to LJS Partners, a group of investors and franchisees.
Long John Silver's has more than 1,100 franchised restaurants in the United States and Asia. It was founded in 1969.
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