Topgolf has a new CEO—one who knows the entertainment-dining space.
David McKillips was named CEO of Topgolf International LLC, based in Dallas, effective Feb. 23. McKillips is the former president and CEO of CEC Entertainment, parent to the Chuck E. Cheese brand.
He previously held leadership roles at Six Flags Entertainment, and he managed theme parks in Canada and Mexico, developing the chain globally and launching the company’s Six Flags TV Network.
The announcement comes three months after Topgolf announced a spinoff to private-equity firm Leonard Green & Partners LP. The firm took a 60% stake in the chain and its proprietary technology from former parent Topgolf Callaway Brands Corp. in a deal valued at about $1.1 billion. The deal closed in January.
Leading up to the separation, Callaway had been working on improving sales at the more-than-100-unit social entertainment concept, which has struggled with weak sales in recent years amid the challenging macroeconomic climate.
Efforts appeared to be paying off. In the third quarter last year, Topgolf’s same-store sales were up more than 1%, driven in part by improvements in traffic.
In his six years with CEC, McKillips led a number of new initiatives at the 563-unit Chuck E. Cheese and 95-unit Peter Piper Pizza, creating an adult-focused spinoff called Chuck’s Arcade, for example, as well as renovating the core pizza-and-games brand and launching its first membership program.
He also navigated CEC through a bankruptcy filed during the pandemic, and the closure of about 50 units.
McKillips in a statement said Topgolf has and would continue to expand the player experience through “unrivaled hospitality” and sports technology.
“Topgolf is a brand I’ve long admired; one that brings people together through unforgettable shared experiences no matter their level of interest in the game of golf,” he said.
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