Dive Brief:
- BJ’s Restaurants appointed Lyle Tick as president and chief concept officer effective Sept. 9, according to a press release issued Tuesday.
- Tick joins BJ’s from On the Border, where he worked as CEO for less than a year. Prior to that, Tick served as brand president for Buffalo Wild Wings beginning in 2018.
- The move comes less than a week after the chain ousted president and CEO Gregory Levin, replacing him with C. Bradford Richmond on an interim basis.
Dive Insight:
BJ’s has struggled with sales in recent quarters. Those difficulties, combined with pressure from activist investors, may be pushing the company to consider significant changes. Tick’s experience includes overseeing rebranding and design updates at Buffalo Wild Wings.
“[Tick] led a team on the revitalization of the Buffalo Wild Wings brand, re-embracing its sports bar heritage, evolving the restaurant design, revamping the menu … and launching the Buffalo Wild Wings GO sub-brand,” the company said.
Richmond said Tick’s “strategic customer focus and passion for brand clarity will enable BJ’s to enhance its relevance and awareness,” and that Tick’s previous experience in consumer goods and spirits — he worked at Walgreens and at Bacardi before Buffalo Wild Wings — mean Tick brings a novel perspective to the brand.
Sharon Zackfia, an analyst with William Blair, wrote in a note on the executive changes at BJ’s that the move might signal an emphasis on the chain’s brewhouse roots.
On the Border was working on a brand turnaround before Tick’s truncated tenure with the Tex-Mex brand. In 2022, the chain added a new loyalty app, updating it in 2023 with spend-based tiers.
On the Border confirmed that Tick was leaving the company, but did not comment on the impact his departure would have on strategy. The company did not comment on potential CEO succession.
Tick’s departure from On the Border has extended the dramatic run of restaurant CEO switches, which began in early August, into September. If brands continue to face difficulty driving sales, such executive changes seen across the industry may continue.
