BJ’s Restaurants and Brewhouse did not have to go far to find its next CEO.
On Thursday, the casual-dining chain promoted Lyle Tick, its president and chief concept officer, to the top job.
He replaces interim CEO Brad Richmond, who will take on a temporary advisory role and will remain on the chain’s board of directors.
Tick came to BJ’s in September after a brief stint as CEO of On the Border Mexican Grill. Before that, he spent five years as president of Buffalo Wild Wings, where he led a rebrand and helped launch its takeout-focused offshoot, BWW Go.
He has been tapped to lead a revival at BJ’s after a period of sluggish sales. His early moves have included simplifying the chain’s menu and operations and upgrading some core items, such as pizza.
BJ’s has already shown some promising results since Tick and Richmond kicked off the new strategy last year. Same-store sales have been positive in each of the past three quarters, including a 2.7% traffic increase to start this year.
(Read our story about BJ's comeback efforts here.)
“I am proud of the progress we have made to date for the business and as a leadership team,” Tick said in a statement Thursday. “I look forward to building on the foundations we have laid and continuing to work with Brad, the Board, the leadership team and our team members around the country as we execute on our strategies to position BJ’s for sustainable long-term success.”
Also on Thursday, BJ’s announced that CFO Thomas Houdek will resign on June 20 to take a new job outside of the restaurant industry. Houdek had been with the chain since 2019.
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