SPB Hospitality, the owner of Krystal, Logan’s Roadhouse and other restaurant brands, has named Josh Kern its new CEO.
It shouldn’t be too much of a change for Kern, who has been interim CEO since August following the departure of former chief executive Jim Mazany. Kern joined SPB in 2018 as CMO and later became president of concepts.
He was instrumental in SPB’s merger with Krystal in April and has launched a major refranchising effort at the 300-unit slider brand. Both SPB and Krystal are owned by Fortress Investment Holdings.
In addition to the quick-service Krystal chain, SPB’s portfolio includes 16 steakhouse and brewery brands, including Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, Old Chicago Pizza + Taproom, and Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant. They account for hundreds of locations across 39 states.
The bulk of SPB’s brands were acquired from CraftWorks Holdings after it filed for bankruptcy in March 2020.
In an open letter to employees and franchisees, Kern encouraged collaboration and open communication across SPB. “I am truly honored and excited to lead this incredible team and look forward to a future filled with limitless possibilities,” he wrote.
Kern’s background is largely in marketing. Before joining SPB, he was CMO at Cerca Trova Restaurant Concepts, Smashburger and American Blue Ribbon Holdings and SVP of marketing at Quiznos.
Morgan McClure, managing director at Fortress, said Kern is “absolutely the right person for the job.”
“With his experience in the marketing, culinary, supply chain and IT disciplines, he is well positioned to expand SPB Hospitality and develop strategies to navigate ongoing inflationary pressures and fast track innovative ways to reach out to guests,” McClure said in a statement.
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