The Bar Louie grill-and-bar chain has named Brian Wright as its new CEO.
He joins the 70-unit operation after serving as CEO of Tijuana Flats, the Tex-Mex fast-casual chain. Wright has also held positions at Bertucci’s, Au Bon Pain and Einstein Bros. Bagels during his 35 years in the business.
At Bar Louie, he succeeds Tom Fricke, who left the company in June, according to his LinkedIn listing.
“With his track record of guiding legendary brands and a clear vision for the future, he is the perfect choice to take advantage of the many opportunities we see at Bar Louie and to lead our business to even greater heights,” Bar Louie Chairman Gordon Paris said in the announcement of Wright’s appointment.
“I see numerous opportunities to drive growth and profitability and meaningfully improve the customer experience, and I am excited to begin tackling these challenges with the outstanding members of the Bar Louie family,” Wright said in the same press announcement.
In addition to operating and franchising casual grill operations, which it calls “gastrobars,’ Bar Louie has developed two virtual delivery-only brands, Sweet Lou’s and Macs & Stacks.
Bar Louie once extended to more than 130 locations, but closed about three dozen stores and filed for bankruptcy before the pandemic hit.
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