Checkers & Rally’s CEO resigns

Dive Brief:

Checkers & Rally’s President and CEO Frances Allen has stepped down from leading the company to focus on board work, the chain said in a press release emailed to Restaurant Dive Thursday.
Allen, who is a board member at Brinker and No Kid Hungry, will remain with the company through September to help with a smooth transition. Allen will aid the hiring process and with the onboarding of a successor. She will also remain a shareholder.
Allen joined Checkers & Rally’s in 2020 and has played a role in the company’s growth, launching its Restaurant of the Future store remodel and menu innovation, among other projects.

Dive Insight:

The chain has undergone several recent C-suite changes. In November, Checkers & Rally’s appointed Michael Blair as CFO and Scott Johnson as CMO. At the time of their hires, the company said the two would help with expansion, driving profitability and boosting guest engagement.

Under Allen’s leadership, the company has tried various technologies, including drive-thru AI in both English and Spanish. The 800-unit chain has also tried to speed up growth, focusing its efforts in populated areas in California, Nevada and Arizona, as well as North and South Carolina. Franchisees who opened a new Checkers & Rally’s last year received a royalty discount of 50%. The company planned to add around 60 new units over the course of 2023 and 2024, according to the Business Observer.

“Since Frances joined our team in 2020, she has played an instrumental role in helping us to execute on a number of key initiatives that have helped to build a solid foundation for the business and a clear path forward for the company’s next phase of growth,” said David Barr, independent board member at Checkers & Rally’s.

Checkers & Rally’s relies on its small, 1,008-square-foot model, which has always offered drive-thru and walk-up stores without dining rooms, a design philosophy other QSR brands have begun to gravitate toward. In 2022, it redesigned its exteriors and rolled out a modern image for newly constructed units.