BJ’s Restaurants Inc. late Monday announced that Gregory Trojan will become president of the company in December and will replace Jerry Deitchle as chief executive early next year.
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Confirming a long-standing rumor of his upcoming retirement, Deitchle said he plans to step down from the CEO role on Feb. 1, 2013 after eight years in the position. He will remain as chairman of the board, and Trojan will take over the role of chief executive of BJ’s at that time.
Trojan will first join BJ’s as president and as a director on Dec. 3. He spent about five years as chief executive of Guitar Center, and prior to that served as chief executive of House of Blues Entertainment Inc., parent to the House of Blues restaurant and concert venues.
A former PepsiCo executive, Trojan also served as chief executive of California Pizza Kitchen for two years while it was owned by PepsiCo. Since March 2010, he has been a director of Domino’s Pizza Inc.
“Greg Trojan knows our industry and also knows how to successfully grow consumer chain-store brands and operations to the multibillion level in multiple distribution channels,” said Deitchle in a statement. “In my view, Greg is absolutely the right leader at the right time for BJ’s going forward, and I am pleased to pass the company’s leadership baton to him.
“With only 127 restaurants open today,” Deitchle continued, “we are just beginning the third inning of BJ’s solid national expansion program. I am excited to continue as BJ’s chairman for the foreseeable future.”
BJ’s last week reported an 8-percent increase in third-quarter profit, but the positive results disappointed Wall Street analysts.
Despite economic headwinds, BJ’s remains focused on traffic-driving initiatives, as well as continued expansion as a national brand. Next year, the company expects to open 17 restaurants.
Deitchle has said the chain has room to expand to about 425 large-format units nationwide.
Contact Lisa Jennings at lisa.jennings@penton.com.
Follow her on Twitter: @livetodineout
