Checkers Drive-In Restaurants Inc., parent company of Checkers & Rally’s, has named Chris Tebben president and CEO effective Sept. 4, according to a press release.
Tebben succeeds Frances Allen, who announced in April that she was stepping down in order to focus on board work.
Chris Tebben Photo: Checkers & Rally’s |
“After a thorough search process, we are very pleased to welcome Chris to the Checkers & Rally’s organization. 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,” said David Barr, Checkers & Rally’s independent Board member. “On behalf of the entire Checkers & Rally’s family, I would like to thank Frances Allen for her leadership and dedicated service, and we wish her the best on all her future plans.”
Tebben joins the brand has served in leadership roles at Mars, Starbucks, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro and Pizza Hut, among others. Prior to joining Checkers, Tebben served as president of Mars Retail Group, leading the M&M’s retail arm. He also served as Starbucks VP of retail strategy, VP of licenses stores and VP of Starbucks Frappuccino and Tea businesses.
“I have been honored to lead Checkers & Rally’s for nearly five years, and I am proud of all that the organization accomplished, especially given the unprecedented challenges of COVID, staffing, and inflationary pressures,” Frances Allen, who has served as president and CEO of Checkers since February of 2020, said in the press release. “As I depart, I am delighted to welcome Chris to the organization, and I am confident that he not only has the right professional experience to lead and grow this business, he also has a leadership personality that will make for a great cultural fit with our franchisees, operators, and teams.”
Tebben said he is fortunate to inherit a strong foundation laid by Allen and the current leadership team in place.
I am honored that the Board has entrusted me to steward the Checkers & Rally’s brands into their next chapter of profitable growth,” Tebben said in the press release. “I couldn’t be more excited to lead these two iconic brands that have endured for over 40 years by serving up craveable burgers and the best fries in the business, while delivering a tremendous value proposition for both customers and franchisees. As I look to the future, I believe Checkers & Rally’s is primed to exceed consumers’ rising expectations when it comes to hyper-convenience, and I look forward to working with the team to continue to innovate in every area of our business.
“As I take on this leadership role, I am humbled by the honor to lead more than 4,700 company team members and nearly 150 franchise partners, and at the same time, excited about the mission before us. It is through working as one team that we will win in delivering incredible food, service, and value to our customers and unlimited opportunity to our team members and franchisees. I am confident that working together we will deliver growth for years to come.”
Checkers Drive-In Restaurants operates almost 800 Checkers and Rally’s restaurants.