Checkers Drive-In Restaurants Inc., parent company of quick-service chains Checkers & Rally’s, has named Chris Tebben chief executive officer, effective Sept. 4. He succeeds Frances Allen, who announced in April that she would be stepping down.
Tebben, left, arrives from Mars Retail Group, where he was president for two years. Previously, he spent eight years at Starbucks in various roles, most recently as vice president of Starbucks Reserve.
He also was chief marketing officer of Pei Wei and held a variety of marketing roles at Pizza Hut.
In a press release announcing his appointment, Checkers & Rally’s independent board member David Barr praised Tebben’s background.
“After a thorough search process, we are very pleased to welcome Chris to the Checkers & Rally's organization,” he said. “His comprehensive experience in nearly every aspect of restaurant leadership, coupled with his proven track record of delivering sales, traffic, and unit growth, make him a perfect fit to take these brands to the next level.”
“On behalf of the entire Checkers & Rally's family, I would like to thank Frances Allen for her leadership and dedicated service, and we wish her the best on all her future plans,” he added.
Allen, who had been the company’s president and CEO since February of 2020, said she welcomed Tebben as her replacement.
“I have been honored to lead Checkers & Rally's for nearly five years, and I am proud of all that the organization accomplished, especially given the unprecedented challenges of COVID, staffing, and inflationary pressures,” she said. “As I depart, I am delighted to welcome Chris to the organization, and I am confident that he not only has the right professional experience to lead and grow this business, he also has a leadership personality that will make for a great cultural fit with our franchisees, operators, and teams.”
Tebben also had kind words for Allen.
“I am fortunate to be inheriting the strong foundation that Frances and the team have put in place, and I am honored that the Board has entrusted me to steward the Checkers & Rally's brands into their next chapter of profitable growth,” he said in the release. “I couldn't be more excited to lead these two iconic brands that have endured for over 40 years by serving up craveable burgers and the best fries in the business, while delivering a tremendous value proposition for both customers and franchisees. As I look to the future, I believe Checkers & Rally's is primed to exceed consumers' rising expectations when it comes to hyper-convenience, and I look forward to working with the team to continue to innovate in every area of our business.”
He added, “As I take on this leadership role, I am humbled by the honor to lead more than 4,700 company team members and nearly 150 franchise partners, and at the same time, excited about the mission before us. It is through working as one team that we will win in delivering incredible food, service, and value to our customers and unlimited opportunity to our team members and franchisees. I am confident that working together we will deliver growth for years to come.”
Checkers is based in Tampa and has nearly 800 restaurants under the Checkers and Rally’s brands.
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected]
