Brinker International Inc., parent to the Chili’s Grill & Bar and Maggiano’s Little Italy brands, has named James Butler as chief supply chain officer, the company said Thursday.
Dallas-based Brinker said Butler will oversee all supply chain functions, including procurement, food safety and quality assurance, distribution and logistics, brand program management and systems for company-owned restaurants. Butler most recently served as senior vice president of KFC supply chain at Restaurant Supply Chain Solutions LLC, a Yum Brands Inc. cooperative.
“James is a visionary leader who builds collaborative, integrated teams and coaches future leaders to continually improve and drive results,” said Kevin Hochman, Brinker president and CEO, in a statement.
“He will play a key role in executing on our new strategic pillars, working cross-functionally to help us improve and innovate on the core Chili’s food categories we want to win on – including burgers, fajitas, chicken crispers and margaritas,” Hochman said, adding those categories would “improve our guests’ experience and increase traffic.”
Prior to joining Restaurant Supply Chain Solutions, Butler served as vice president for strategy and Integrated business planning at Georgia Pacific. He earlier worked as a management consultant with Deloitte Consulting LLC.
“I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and work with the Brinker teams on exciting new initiatives to help transform supply chain and procurement strategies that will drive growth, impact the bottom line and maintain operational excellence,” Butler said.
Brinker, founded in 1975, owns, franchises and operates more than 1,600 restaurants in 29 nations and two U.S. territories. It also owns the It's Just Wings and Maggiano's Italian Classics brands.
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