Souper Salad, Inc. Names Ward Olgreen President and CEO
Industry Veteran Assumes Leadership Reins Following Planned Retirement of Tim Taft
DALLAS, July 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Souper Salad, Inc., parent company of Souper Salad and Grandy's restaurants, has named Ward Olgreen as its new President and Chief Executive Officer. The appointment of Olgreen follows the retirement of former CEO Tim Taft.
"We thank Tim for his many contributions over the last two years," said Tom Taylor, Chairman of Souper Salad, Inc. "Tim successfully led the company during a difficult time in the restaurant industry, as evidenced by improvements in our sales and guest traffic in May of this year. First and foremost, he developed a strong management team that remains intact, providing a complete and orderly transition of leadership. At the same time, we are very pleased to announce Ward Olgreen as the company's new CEO. Ward brings a unique blend of experience, particularly in the areas of operations and franchise development, as we continue an aggressive path toward franchising both Souper Salad and Grandy's."
Olgreen, with more than 30 years of experience in the restaurant industry, joined Souper Salad, Inc. as its Chief Operating Officer in 2008. Prior to that, he spent 17 years with Dallas--based Pizza Inn in a variety of leadership positions, including Senior Vice President of Worldwide Franchising and Vice President of Operations.
"Our work is well underway," said Olgreen. "With our financial partners, suppliers, and support center team, we will continue to accomplish our goals through a shared mission to work smart, stay relevant, and never forget that this is all about delivering a quality product to our loyal customers."
Dallas--based Souper Salad, Inc. is owned by an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners.
About Souper Salad, Inc.
Founded in 1978, Souper Salad, Inc. operates two successful restaurant concepts under the Souper Salad and Grandy's brands. The company currently operates 147 locations in 17 states, including 77 company--owned stores and 70 franchise--owned and --operated stores under its Souper Brands system. Over the past 32 years, Souper Salad has established a reputation across the Southwest for fresh salads, handcrafted soups, a variety of bakery items, and hot entree options. Grandy's has served up fresh, home--style meals in a quick--service restaurant environment for the past 38 years. For more information, visit www.soupersalad.com/ or www.grandys.com.
About Sun Capital Partners, Inc.
Sun Capital Partners, Inc. is a leading private investment firm focused on leveraged buyouts, equity, debt, and other investments in market--leading companies that can benefit from its in--house operating professionals and experience. Sun Capital affiliates have invested in and managed more than 190 companies worldwide with combined sales in excess of $35.0 billion since Sun Capital's inception in 1995. Sun Capital has offices in Boca Raton, Los Angeles, and New York, as well as affiliates with offices in London, Tokyo, and Shenzhen. For more information, please visit www.SunCapPart.com.
SOURCE Souper Salad, Inc.
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