Denny's CEO John Miller is retiring from the family-dining chain after more than a decade in charge, the company said Friday.
He will step down later this year, and the company is searching for a replacement, according to a brief filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Denny's has thrived under Miller. Total sales are up 18%, to $2.6 billion, over the last 10 years, according to Technomic, and its stock price has increased 238% since he took over after languishing for years.
More recently, the 1,640-unit chain has been making a slow recovery from the pandemic. Many of its 24-hour restaurants remain short-staffed and unable to stay open around the clock.
In February 2020, Miller ceded his role as president to CFO Mark Wolfinger as part of a management reshuffle at the company.
Prior to joining Denny’s in 2011, Miller was CEO of Taco Bueno for five and a half years. Before that, he spent 17 years at Brinker International, where he held a variety of management positions, including president of Romano’s Macaroni Grill and president of the company's Mexican concepts.
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