MONCTON N.B. Longtime casual-dining veteran Ron Magruder has been named president and chief executive officer of Pizza Delight Corp. Ltd. here, operator or franchisor of the Pizza Delight, Mikes, Scores and Baton Rouge restaurant concepts. All operate solely within Canada.
Magruder was previously a group president at Cara Operations Ltd., a diversified Canadian foodservice company. He oversaw the 540 restaurants in Cara’s Swiss Chalet rotisserie-chicken and Harvey’s hamburger chains.
The bulk of his 36-year restaurant career was spent at General Mills Restaurants and its successor concern, Darden Restaurants Inc., where he oversaw the rapid-fire development of its Olive Garden chain. He later assumed the presidency of the Cracker Barrel family restaurant chain, but parted company with the operation after a leading a diversification that parent company CBRL Group has since reversed. He has served as chief executive of the Hops Restaurant Bar & Brewery casual-dining chain, and briefly headed a restaurant spin-off of the Tommy Bahama clothing retailer.
Magruder is a past chairman of the National Restaurant Association, which he still serves as a director, and a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
“We are delighted to have someone of Ron’s caliber,” said Bernard Imbeault, whom Magruder succeeded. “Ron’s management experience and firsthand knowledge of the foodservice industry has made him one of the most prominent restaurant executives in North America.”
Pizza Delight Corp. operates and franchises restaurants in Canada’s full-service and markets.