GLENDALE, Calif., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- DineEquity,
Inc., the parent company of Applebee's Neighborhood Grill &
BarĀ® and IHOPĀ® restaurants, today announced that John Cywinski has been appointed President,
Applebee's, effective today.
John most recently served as Executive Vice President of
Strategic Innovation and Marketing at Brinker International, parent
company of Chili's Grill & Bar and Maggiano's Little Italy.
Prior to Brinker, John was at Yum! Brands from 2010 to 2014, where
he was the President of KFC's $4.4
billion, 4,400 restaurant U.S. business. Before
joining Yum! John spent four years as a franchisee himself, owning
and operating successful Dunkin' Donuts and Sonic restaurants
in Chicago; he has since sold all
of his restaurants.
From 2001 to 2006, John served as the chief marketing officer of
Applebee's, where he led all aspects of brand strategy and
positioning including, marketing, culinary and menu
strategies, while spearheading innovative initiatives like
Applebee's Carside To Go, a 5-year alliance with Weight Watchers,
and the "Eatin' Good In The Neighborhood" ad campaign. Previously,
John served as Vice President of U.S. Brand Strategy for McDonald's
Corporation, President of Buena Vista Pictures Marketing for The
Walt Disney Company and led U.S. Marketing for Burger King. John
started his career with Leo Burnett Advertising in Chicago.
"We are pleased that John is rejoining the Applebee's team, this
time as brand president," said Richard J.
Dahl, DineEquity's Chairman and Interim Chief Executive
Officer. "John is a highly-regarded industry veteran with more than
25 years of leadership experience, including leading quick service
and casual dining brands. Importantly, he is in the unique position
of being able to provide extensive industry experience and a fresh
innovative perspective to the Applebee's business, while already
having a deep understanding and appreciation of the brand and
strong collaborative relationships with its franchise community.
Through his previous work with KFC and Applebee's, John has proven
his ability to work with franchisees to revitalize a brand, and we
couldn't imagine a better fit to lead Applebee's turnaround."
Continued Dahl, "Applebee's is an iconic brand, number one in
its category, with a broad footprint and sophisticated franchisee
base. While the business, like the category, is going through a
challenging period, we are confident that we can improve
performance and drive long-term growth again under John's
leadership. DineEquity's highly-franchised model continues to
generate significant cash flow, which will enable us to make
substantial investments in the brand, and we are thrilled to have
John on board to guide our growth initiatives."
"I'm thrilled to be back at Applebee's, where I was previously
part of a terrific senior team and franchise community that led the
transformation of the company," said Cywinski. "This is a very
meaningful homecoming for me and I'm looking forward to partnering
with Applebee's franchisees as well as the Applebee's and
DineEquity teams to unlock the growth within this great brand. I am
both proud and humbled to have this opportunity and I'm committed
to working tirelessly with all partners to reestablish Applebee's
excellence and leadership in the category."
About DineEquity, Inc.
Based in Glendale, California,
DineEquity, Inc. (NYSE: DIN), through its subsidiaries, franchises
restaurants under the Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar brand
and franchises and operates restaurants under the IHOP brand. With
more than 3,700 restaurants combined in 18 countries and 3 U.S.
territories and approximately 400 franchisees, DineEquity is one of
the largest full-service restaurant companies in the world. For
more information on DineEquity, visit the Company's website located
at www.dineequity.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements contained in this press release may constitute
forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these
forward-looking statements by words such as "may," "will,"
"should," "could," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate,"
"intend," "plan" and other similar expressions. These statements
involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors,
which may cause actual results to be materially different from
those expressed or implied in such statements. These factors
include, but are not limited to: the effect of general economic
conditions; the Company's indebtedness; risk of future impairment
charges; trading volatility and the price of the Company's common
stock; the Company's results in any given period differing from
guidance provided to the public; the highly competitive nature of
the restaurant business; the Company's business strategy failing to
achieve anticipated results; risks associated with the restaurant
industry; risks associated with locations of current and future
restaurants; rising costs for food commodities and utilities;
shortages or interruptions in the supply or delivery of food;
ineffective marketing and guest relationship initiatives and use of
social media; changing health or dietary preferences; our
engagement in business in foreign markets; harm to our brands'
reputation; litigation; fourth-party claims with respect to
intellectual property assets; environmental liability; liability
relating to employees; failure to comply with applicable laws and
regulations; failure to effectively implement restaurant
development plans; our dependence upon our franchisees;
concentration of Applebee's franchised restaurants in a limited
number of franchisees; credit risk from IHOP franchisees operating
under our previous business model; termination or non-renewal of
franchise agreements; franchisees breaching their franchise
agreements; insolvency proceedings involving franchisees; changes
in the number and quality of franchisees; inability of franchisees
to fund capital expenditures; heavy dependence on information
technology; the occurrence of cyber incidents or a deficiency in
our cybersecurity; failure to execute on a business continuity
plan; inability to attract and retain talented employees; risks
associated with retail brand initiatives; failure of our internal
controls; and other factors discussed from time to time in the
Company's Annual and Quarterly Reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q and
in the Company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. The forward-looking statements contained in this
release are made as of the date hereof and the Company assumes no
obligation to update or supplement any forward-looking
statements.
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SOURCE DineEquity, Inc.