BJ's Restaurants EVP of Operations Lon Ledwith is retiring after 18 years with the casual-dining chain, the company said Thursday. He's expected to step down in May.
Ledwith will be replaced by Christopher Pinsak, BJ's SVP of operations since January 2019. Pinsak, 57, has been with the chain since 2004, and had been working as a senior regional vice president until 2018.
Before that, he was director of operations for Wood Ranch BBQ from 2000 to 2004. He also worked at Brinker International starting in 1987, rising to regional area director for Chili's.
The announcement coincided with BJ's earnings report for the fourth quarter of 2021. The 211-unit chain generated record revenue of $291.3 million for the quarter, but same-store sales fell 1.1% on a two-year basis due to the impacts of the omicron variant of COVID-19 in December.
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