Eric Wyatt
Boston Market on Monday promoted Eric Wyatt to CEO, as the company’s former chief operating officer takes over for Frances Allen, who is leaving the company after less than two years.
Wyatt will oversee a newly created “Office of CEO” that also includes Chief Financial Officer Caryn Doyle and Chief Administrative Officer Randy Miller. The group had worked with Allen on the Golden, Colo.-based company’s transformation plan.
“This company is in a very different place than it was in 2018,” Allen said in a statement. “Most importantly, there is a robust game plan in place to take the brand forward. The foundation is here. The plan is here. And the people are here.”
“While the decision to take on this new opportunity was extraordinarily difficult, I am confident I am leaving the brand in outstanding hands,” she added.
The departure comes just months after Boston Market closed 45 locations, about a tenth of its total unit count, as part of an out-of-court restructuring. The company now has just more than 400 locations.
System sales in 2018 were $558 million, down 1.3% from the previous year, according to data from Restaurant Business sister company Technomic.
Wyatt had been a vice president of operations for Panera Bread before coming to Boston Market and had worked with Bath & Body Works, Starbucks and Taco Bell.
He said the company has had a “renewed energy and excitement” under its turnaround plan.
“The fun has returned in multiple ways, from investments in our workforce to our fresh new marketing and messaging to more contemporary recipes, to delivering an entirely new, more compelling experience for guests that has dramatically improved satisfaction levels,” he said.
Allen, the former Jack in the Box president, arrived at Boston Market in 2018.
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