DALLAS, June 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Brinker
International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT), today announced Kelli Valade has been named President of
Chili's® Grill & Bar. In this role, Valade will be
responsible for overseeing all aspects of domestic restaurant
operations, marketing, franchising and PeopleWorks for the
brand.
"Six years ago, we tapped Kelli to lead the change to become a
more accountable organization. Through our evolution to a culture
of accountability, Kelli and our restaurant leadership teams have
achieved unprecedented improvements in restaurant margins and guest
satisfaction scores. They did it by lowering costs while balancing
an improved and consistent guest experience that enabled us to
deliver a compelling value proposition," said Wyman Roberts, CEO and President of Brinker
International. "We are confident Kelli's experience,
leadership and exceptional restaurant operations team will continue
to deliver on our key initiatives to drive a truly differentiated
experience for our guests and shareholders."
With 20 years of experience at Brinker International, Valade has
held multiple leadership roles in PeopleWorks and operations and
most recently served as Executive Vice President and Chief
Operating Officer for Chili's. Prior to joining Brinker
International, Valade held a human resources position at Carlson
Restaurants Worldwide.
Doug Comings has been named
Valade's successor as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating
Officer for Chili's. In this role, Comings will oversee
operations for all Chili's domestic restaurants. Previously,
Comings served in a dual capacity as Vice President of
Domestic Franchise and Regional Vice President for Chili's. In this
position, he oversaw operations for over 570 company-owned and
franchised restaurants, including new restaurant development
and franchisee relationships and agreements. Doug began his
career with Brinker International in 1994 as a Chili's server and
over the past 22 years has grown into various operations leadership
roles.
Brinker International, Inc. is one of the world's leading casual
dining restaurant companies. Founded in 1975 and based
in Dallas, Texas, as of March 23, 2016, Brinker
owned, operated, or franchised 1,647 restaurants under the names
Chili's® Grill & Bar (1,596 restaurants)
and Maggiano's Little Italy® (51 restaurants).
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/brinker-international-names-kelli-valade-president-of-chilis-300292311.html
SOURCE Brinker International