Gibbons Elected Chair of National Restaurant Association

CHARLESTON, W. VA (Oct. 12, 2009)—Michael Gibbons, president and ceo of Mainstreet Ventures Inc., has been elected chairman of the board of directors of the National Restaurant Association. He will serve in that post until January 2011.

"We are excited to continue to grow membership and strengthen the National Restaurant Association's services under Mike's leadership," said Dawn Sweeney, president and ceo of the association. "He will be instrumental in advancing the association's new strategic plan and promoting an expanded portfolio of member benefits that will strengthen the restaurant and foodservice industry as a whole. Mike's passion for the industry and vast experience will be extremely valuable to supporting our mission."

Gibbons heads Mainstreet Ventures in Ann Arbor, Mich., a regional restaurant chain that began as a single restaurant venture. The chain's portfolio today features restaurants in Ohio, West Virginia, Michigan, Maryland and Florida. The restaurants include Real Seafood Co., Ristorante Gratzi, Blue Pointe Seafood, Palio Ristorante, La Dolce Vita, Tidewater Grill, Ciao, Chop House, Zia's, Carson's American Bistro and Carson's Steakhouse.

Gibbons began serving on the restaurant association's board in 2000. He previously held the positions of treasurer and vice chairman, as well as being a trustee with the association's educational foundation.

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Financing

Despite their complaints, customers keep flocking to Chipotle

The Bottom Line: The chain continued to be a juggernaut last quarter, with strong sales and traffic growth, despite frequent social media complaints about shrinkflation or other challenges.

Operations

Hitting resistance elsewhere, ghost kitchens and virtual concepts find a happy home in family dining

Reality Check: Old-guard chains are finding the alternative operations to be persistently effective side hustles.

Financing

The Tijuana Flats bankruptcy highlights the dangers of menu miscues

The Bottom Line: The fast-casual chain’s problems following new menu debuts in 2021 and 2022 show that adding new items isn’t always the right idea.

Trending

More from our partners