Dive Brief:
- Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, parent company of Checkers & Rally’s, has appointed Chris Tebben as president and CEO, effective Sept. 4, the company said Wednesday in a press release.
- Tebben will succeed Frances Allen, who previously announced her departure in April to focus on board work. Allen had been CEO and president of the company since February 2020.
- Tebben has over two decades of experience in restaurants and consumer packaged goods, and most recently served as president of Mars Retail Group where he led M&M’s flagship stores across the globe. He has also held roles at Starbucks, P.F. Chang’s and Pizza Hut.
Dive Insight:
Tebben is among a growing list of new CEOs announced across the industry this month. Starbucks, Chipotle, Red Lobster, Bloomin’, Tony Roma’s and Chick-fil-A have appointed top executives or presidents in August as chains shift strategies or fill in gaps following departures.
Checkers and Rally’s, which has nearly 800 units, continues to push for more growth. In 2022, the company refreshed one of its popular store models. The 1,008-square-foot format, which has a drive-thru and walk up window but lacks a dining room, received new exteriors and a modern image as part of the facelift. Checkers and Rally’s is also using drive-thru AI that communicates with customers in both English and Spanish in a bid to free up store labor.
Tebben has experience in strategic planning, operations, restaurant development, multi-unit franchising, retail marketing and category management, per the press release. He has worked in both turnaround and growth environments for Fortune 100 and private equity-owned companies.
“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,” David Barr, a Checkers Independent Board Member, said in a statement.
Tebben’s experience includes a variety of leadership roles at Starbucks, where he worked for eight years. His most recent position at the coffee chain was leading the expansion of Starbucks Reserve. During his time in that position, Starbucks opened U.S. and international Reserve locations, including Starbucks Reserve Roastery, the brand’s largest store in the world. Other positions he held at Starbucks include vice president of retail strategy, vice president of licensed stores and vice president of Starbucks’ frappuccino and tea businesses.
