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18 restaurant executives on the move in December18 restaurant executives on the move in December

Randy Garutti, long-time CEO of Shake Shack, announcing his retirement led the news last month

Holly Petre, Assistant Digital Editor

January 2, 2024

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Randy Garutti

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Welcome to the new year! Last year held over 43 CEO changes throughout the restaurant industry, including a few in December. It’s time to take a look back at some of the executive changes that happened in the last month of 2023.

In the biggest news of the month, Shake Shack’s CEO Randy Garutti announced he would be leaving the company at the end of 2024. He served as the chain’s CEO for over 20 years and helped launch it to national success.

Dave & Buster’s lost its chief financial officer while Brix Holdings named a former TGI Fridays executive to that role.

After welcoming two CEOs in 2023, Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux added more to the executive team to finish out the year, including a new VP of supply chain and procurement, a VP of technology, and a chief marketing officer.

TGI Fridays welcomed a new U.S. president and chief operating officer along with a new president of international markets and chief financial officer.

Click through the gallery to see which executives got a new job at the end of 2023.

About the Author

Holly Petre

Assistant Digital Editor

Holly Petre is a digital editor for Nation’s Restaurant News as well as the host of NRN’s podcast, Extra Serving, and producer for Informa Restaurant and Food Group’s other three podcasts, One On One by Food Management, Off the Shelf with SN and In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn. Holly holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Sculpture, fibers and Material Studies and Ceramics from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. A native New Yorker, Holly enjoys her place on staff as the resident pop-culture expert and millennial with a sassy attitude and great sense of style.

Holly Petre’s work on Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality often covers marketing and trends, either aimed-at or examined-through the millennial mindset. Holly is responsible for introducing TikTok and Twitch to NRN and RH readers as well as explaining terms like “Karen” to staff and readers alike. She also spends her time on staff trying not to make every headline a pun.

Holly Petre hasn’t spoken at any events or on panels, but she is readily available with a killer shoe wardrobe and several witty quips.

 

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