TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc., parent company of Checkers & Rally’s drive-thru restaurants, today announced that Chris Tebben has been named President and Chief Executive Officer, effective September 4, 2024. Mr. Tebben succeeds Frances Allen, who announced in April that she was stepping down as President and CEO of the company in order to focus on board work.
Mr. Tebben joins Checkers & Rally’s with a robust career spent in the restaurants and consumer packaged goods sectors, serving in leadership roles with such powerhouse brands as Mars, Starbucks, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, and Pizza Hut, among others. His considerable experience includes leading strategic planning, operations, restaurant development, multi-unit franchise, retail marketing, and category management in both turnaround and growth environments across Fortune 100 and private equity-owned organizations.
“After a thorough search process, we are very pleased to welcome Chris to the Checkers & Rally’s organization. His comprehensive experience in nearly every aspect of restaurant leadership, coupled with his proven track record of delivering sales, traffic, and unit growth, make him a perfect fit to take these brands to the next level,” said David Barr, Checkers & Rally’s Independent Board Member. “On behalf of the entire Checkers & Rally’s family, I would like to thank Frances Allen for her leadership and dedicated service, and we wish her the best on all her future plans.”
Prior to joining Checkers, Mr. Tebben served as President of Mars Retail Group, leading the M&M’s retail arm of high-profile flagship stores across the globe since 2022. Before this, he served in a variety of leadership roles at Starbucks over his eight-year tenure there, most recently leading the expansion of Starbucks Reserve, opening U.S.-based and international locations including the largest Starbucks in the world: Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Chicago.
Mr. Tebben also served as Starbucks Vice President of Retail Strategy, Vice President of Licensed Stores where he led all marketing, digital transformation and product management initiatives in the U.S. and Latin America, as well as Vice President of Starbucks’ multi-billion-dollar Frappuccino and Tea businesses. Earlier in his career, Mr. Tebben held executive positions with P.F. Chang’s as CMO of Pei Wei Asian Diner, and at Yum! Brands as the CMO of Pizza Hut in the UK and Ireland, among other roles.
“I have been honored to lead Checkers & Rally’s for nearly five years, and I am proud of all that the organization accomplished, especially given the unprecedented challenges of COVID, staffing, and inflationary pressures,” said Frances Allen, who has served as President and CEO of Checkers since February of 2020. “As I depart, I am delighted to welcome Chris to the organization, and I am confident that he not only has the right professional experience to lead and grow this business, he also has a leadership personality that will make for a great cultural fit with our franchisees, operators, and teams.”
In addition to his professional accomplishments, Mr. Tebben earned his MBA from the University of Michigan and holds a BA from Michigan State University.
“I am fortunate to be inheriting the strong foundation that Frances and the team have put in place, and I am honored that the Board has entrusted me to steward the Checkers & Rally’s brands into their next chapter of profitable growth,” said Mr. Tebben. “I couldn’t be more excited to lead these two iconic brands that have endured for over 40 years by serving up craveable burgers and the best fries in the business, while delivering a tremendous value proposition for both customers and franchisees. As I look to the future, I believe Checkers & Rally’s is primed to exceed consumers’ rising expectations when it comes to hyper-convenience, and I look forward to working with the team to continue to innovate in every area of our business.”
Mr. Tebben continued: “As I take on this leadership role, I am humbled by the honor to lead more than 4,700 company team members and nearly 150 franchise partners, and at the same time, excited about the mission before us. It is through working as one team that we will win in delivering incredible food, service, and value to our customers and unlimited opportunity to our team members and franchisees. I am confident that working together we will deliver growth for years to come.”
