Bob Evans Restaurants announced that President Roger Williams is retiring after nearly 42 years with the organization, and he’ll be replaced by two men who will split the head spot at the company.
The transition will also entail other leadership changes, all of which will take effect early in February. Williams will stay on board until the end of February to assist with the changes.
The company is realigning its management structure and will divide the responsibilities from Williams’ position between two newly created positions: president and chief restaurant operations officer, as well as president and chief concept officer.
In addition, the current position of president for the company’s Mimi’s Café brand will evolve into the position of president and chief concept officer for Mimi’s Café.
Randy Hicks, formerly executive vice president for Bob Evans Restaurant operations, will become president and chief concept officer for Bob Evans Restaurants, while Harvey Brownlee, formerly of Yum! Brands, will join the company as president and chief operations officer for the restaurant division.
In his new role, Hicks is the strategic change leader, with the primary goal of realizing the national potential of Bob Evans Restaurants. His responsibilities will include driving sales, concept evolution, growth strategy, new product innovation, succession planning and supply chain integration.
Brownlee is joining the company from Yum! Brands, where he was chief operating officer at KFC. He joined Yum in 1987 as an assistant restaurant general manager at Pizza Hut and advanced through the organization as a restaurant operations leader. In his new role at Bob Evans, he’ll focus on standardizing operations, processes and procedures across both restaurant brands, as well as identifying additional opportunities for purchasing synergies by consolidating vendors and purchased items. He will report to Chairman and CEO Steve Davis, as will Hicks.
Tim Pulido, formerly president of Mimi’s Café, will assume the role of president and chief concept officer for Mimi’s Café. The role change reflects the evolution of his current role, which focuses on improving the brand positioning for the concept to capitalize on future growth and development opportunities. His responsibilities will also include driving sales, concept evolution, growth strategy, new product innovation, succession planning and supply chain integration, among many others. Like Hicks and Brownlee, Pulido will also report to CEO Steve Davis.
Kathy North, formerly vice president and regional director for Bob Evans Restaurant operations, has accepted a promotion to senior vice president. North will oversee the work efforts of the company’s vice president and regional directors (Bob Evans Restaurant operations), each of whom will report to her, while North will report to Brownlee.