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Buddy’s Pizza names Marco’s veteran Chris Tussing CEOBuddy’s Pizza names Marco’s veteran Chris Tussing CEO

The Detroit-style pizza chain also names Joe Dominiak chief operating officer

Bret Thorn, Senior Food Editor

August 7, 2023

1 Min Read
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Buddy’s Pizza has appointed Chris Tussing its CEO and Joe Dominiak its chief operating officer, the Detroit-style pizza chain based in Farmington Hills, Mich., said Monday.

Tussing previously was chief marketing officer of Marco’s Pizza, with more than 1,000 locations, and Dominiak was COO of ARC Group Inc., a multi-concept restaurant company with 329 restaurants nationwide.

There are currently 22 Buddy’s locations, all in Michigan, with a total of nearly 1,500 employees, according to a release announcing Tussing’s and Dominiak’s appointments.

“I knew coming in that Buddy’s had a rich heritage rooted in high-quality food and hospitality,” Tussing said in the release. “What became apparent soon after joining, was how deep of an emotional bond there is between the brand and our team members and guests … I love hearing the pride in team members’ voices when they tell me they’ve been here 30 years, 20 years or 17 years. There is a passion here not found in many brands.”

Before joining Marco’s, Tussing worked at large chains including Clorox, Wrigley, Mars, and Anheuser-Busch.

Dominiak, who before joining ARC worked with companies including Skyline Chili, Tilted Kilt, and Camp Bow Wow, indicated in the release that he appreciated the heritage of Buddy’s Pizza, which was founded in 1946.

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“Buddy’s set a new standard for pizza 77 years ago, and it’s inspiring to see the heart and craft team members put into the product and guest experience every day,” he said. “I’m excited to work with Chris and the team to help this iconic brand scale successfully.” 

Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected] 

 

 

About the Author

Bret Thorn

Senior Food Editor, Nation's Restaurant News

Senior Food & Beverage Editor

Bret Thorn is senior food & beverage editor of Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality.

Hi is responsible for spotting and reporting on F&B trends across the country for both publications. 

He is the co-host of a podcast, Menu Talk with Pat and Bret, which features interviews with chefs, food & beverage authorities, and other experts in foodservice operations.

From 2005 to 2008 he also wrote the Kitchen Dish column for The New York Sun, covering restaurant openings and chefs’ career moves in New York City.

He joined Nation’s Restaurant News in 1999 after spending about five years in Thailand, where he wrote articles about business, banking and finance as well as restaurant reviews and food columns for Manager magazine and Asia Times newspaper. He joined Restaurant Hospitality’s staff in 2016 while retaining his position at NRN. 

A magna cum laude graduate of Tufts University in Medford, Mass., with a bachelor’s degree in history, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Thorn also studied traditional French cooking at Le Cordon Bleu Ecole de Cuisine in Paris. He spent his junior year of college in China, studying Chinese language, history and culture for a semester each at Nanjing University and Beijing University. While in Beijing, he also worked for ABC News during the protests and ultimate crackdown in and around Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Thorn’s monthly column in Nation’s Restaurant News won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award for best staff-written editorial or opinion column.

He served as president of the International Foodservice Editorial Council, or IFEC, in 2005.

Thorn wrote the entry on comfort food in the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, 2nd edition, published in 2012. He also wrote a history of plated desserts for the Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets, published in 2015.

He was inducted into the Disciples d’Escoffier in 2014.

A Colorado native originally from Denver, Thorn lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Bret Thorn’s areas of expertise include food and beverage trends in restaurants, French cuisine, the cuisines of Asia in general and Thailand in particular, restaurant operations and service trends. 

Bret Thorn’s Experience: 

Nation’s Restaurant News, food & beverage editor, 1999-Present
New York Sun, columnist, 2005-2008 
Asia Times, sub editor, 1995-1997
Manager magazine, senior editor and restaurant critic, 1992-1997
ABC News, runner, May-July, 1989

Education:
Tufts University, BA in history, 1990
Peking University, studied Chinese language, spring, 1989
Nanjing University, studied Chinese language and culture, fall, 1988 
Le Cordon Bleu Ecole de Cuisine, Cértificat Elémentaire, 1986

Email: [email protected]

Social Media:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bret-thorn-468b663/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bret.thorn.52
Twitter: @foodwriterdiary
Instagram: @foodwriterdiary

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