Doug Brooks, Brinker CEO and President, First to Receive 'The Norman' Award

DALLAS, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Nation's Restaurant News named Doug Brooks , CEO and President of Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE: EAT), the first-ever recipient of 'The Norman' award at the 51st annual Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference.

The award is named for the late Norman Brinker , widely known as the father of casual dining, who grew the Chili's® Grill & Bar chain from 21 restaurants to more than 1,000 prior to his retirement in 2000.  

The Norman award is bestowed annually to a restaurant executive with extraordinary leadership skills who consistently mentors and inspires future industry leaders, much the way Norman Brinker did throughout his storied career.

The award presentation included testimonials from several of Brooks' colleagues and Brinker proteges, including Kerry Kramp , president and CEO of Sizzler USA, who said of Brooks:

"There's a sense of humble servitude. Doug thinks about the people, the food, the ways of relating to the dishwasher on up to the front line servers and the boardroom. He's honest and has an unending sense of hospitality and service, which represents the lessons we all got from Norman."

ABOUT BRINKER INTERNATIONAL

Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE: EAT), is one of the world's leading casual dining restaurant companies, serving more than one million guests daily. Founded in 1975 and based in Dallas, Texas, Brinker owns or franchises 1,550 restaurants in 30 countries and two territories, and employs more than 100,000. Brinker's wholly-owned restaurant brands include Chili's® Grill & Bar and Maggiano's Little Italy®. Brinker also holds a minority investment in Romano's Macaroni Grill®. For more information, visit www.brinker.com.

SOURCE Brinker International

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