Church's Chicken Franchise News

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Church’s Chicken® Chief Executive Officer Jim Hyatt, after only four months at the helm of the globally recognized chicken QSR chain, announced today key talent acquisitions and promotions to its leadership team.
“As we move forward to strengthen our brand globally and relentlessly work on improving restaurant operations and profitability for all our stakeholders, it’s important to continue to bring the right mix of experience, strategic foresight and drive to our team,” said Jim Hyatt.
Effective immediately, the new leadership team members and promotions are as follows:

Edward Brett, Executive Vice President, Chief People Officer joins Church’s after having served as a consultant for the brand in 2011...

Former Così CEO Brings More than 35 Years of Restaurant Experience
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Church's Chicken, the global quick service restaurant chain, today announced the appointment of Jim Hyatt as the company's new Chief Executive Officer.
″We are pleased to bring the talent and track record of Jim Hyatt to Church's Chicken″
Hyatt brings to Church's Chicken more than 35 years of experience at all levels of restaurant operations, most recently as President and CEO of Così, Inc., a fast-casual dining company, where he has worked since 2007. At Così, Hyatt achieved significant improvements in same store sales and profitability in a difficult economic environment.
Previously, Hyatt spent 16 years as an executive and franchise owner at Burger King Holdings...

ATLANTA - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Church's Chicken announced today that John F. Bowie has joined the company as President, US operations for the globally recognized QSR chain. John will be responsible for overseeing all company and franchise restaurants operations. He joins a team of veteran industry leaders who have been hired over the last year to support the brand's growth and retail initiatives.

"John's QSR experience, expertise and solid track record for delivering results will be a catalyst in driving relentless satisfaction for our customers and franchisees," said Mel Deane, CEO, Church's Chicken. "We look forward to his future contributions in creating superior value for all of our stakeholders."

Most recently, John Bowie served since 2007 as Senior Vice President, restaurant operations at Friendly's Ice Cream Corporation...

ATLANTA --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Church's Chicken® was named one of the top franchisors for Hispanic-owned businesses by the World Franchising Network. The company was cited for its profitable businesses led by Hispanic franchise owners as well as its support of the Hispanic communities in which they do business.

"I now own two Church's restaurants in Texas that are doing tremendously well." ."We are proud of our diverse cultures in our franchise system and continue to reach out to engage Hispanic entrepreneurs looking to invest in a business committed to exceptional quality products, great value, operational excellence, and superior guest satisfaction," said Mel Deane, CEO of Church's.

"I worked for Church's in operations for more than thirty-eight years...

To Help Reinforce Its Commitment to Improving Guest Satisfaction and Restaurant Service ATLANTA --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Church's Chicken, the quick service restaurant chain, has enlisted the aid of two of the industry's top customer experience experts to help improve its guests' satisfaction and services. Service Management Group, Inc. (SMG) and Market Force Information, Inc., have collaborated to help Church's Chicken drive substantial improvement in areas such as quality and accuracy of food service, restaurant cleanliness, guest engagement and speed of service.

"We know our guests have many choices when it comes to eating out," said Mel Deane, CEO, Church's Chicken. "We also know that our track record in guest satisfaction has not been consistent, so our team is absolutely and fully committed to providing our guests an exceptional experience at Church's Chicken restaurants...

ATLANTA --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Church's Chicken®, the globally recognized chicken QSR chain, today announced the hiring of several industry leaders to its executive, research and development (R&D), marketing and quality assurance teams. These new team members bring to Church's a wealth of experience and knowledge in their respective fields which will help guide the company's strategy, commitment to quality, guest satisfaction and continued growth and expansion around the world.

"We've recruited some of the best, most impressive and seasoned professionals in the quick service industry who are sure to be an asset to our company, ensuring that our vision is recognized and that our growth is supported," said Mel Deane, CEO, Church's Chicken...

Mel Deane of Friedman, Fleischer & Lowe Takes Helm Immediately

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Church's Chicken's board of directors has announced the appointment of Mel Deane as the company's CEO, effective immediately. For the last 10 years, Deane has worked closely with many of the companies owned by Friedman, Fleischer & Lowe (FFL), a San Francisco-based private equity company and owner of Church's. He has held senior leadership positions in many of their portfolio companies, most recently as CEO of Discovery Foods, the leading manufacturer of Asian branded frozen foods. Since August, Deane has been executive vice president and general manager of U.S. Operations for Church's Chicken. In this role, he has accelerated operational and marketing improvements as well as product development...

Issues Challenge to Industry Peers; Announces Goals for More Jobs and Franchises Internationally and Domestically, and a Special Act of 'Goodness' for Church's Customers Sixth Consecutive Year of Same Store Sales Puts Chicken Chain in Unique Position to Issue Call to Action to Industry and beyond to Put Away Gimmicks and Get Down to the Business of "Community"

--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Church's Chicken:

WHO: Harsha V. Agadi, President & CEO of Church's Chicken

WHEN: 11 a.m. EDT, Tuesday, April 28, 2009

CONFERENCE CALL INSTRUCTIONS: Contact the agency to sign up for the dial in number and password.

WHAT: How does a company achieve six consecutive years of same store sales when the economy has been on a consistent spiral downward? According to Harsha V...

Issues Challenge to Industry Peers; Announces Goals for More Jobs and Franchises Internationally and Domestically, and a Special Act of 'Goodness' for Church's Customers Sixth Consecutive Year of Same Store Sales Puts Chicken Chain in Unique Position to Issue Call to Action to Industry and beyond to Put Away Gimmicks and Get Down to the Business of "Community" (BUSINESS WIRE)--Church's Chicken: WHO: Harsha V. Agadi, President & CEO of Church's Chicken WHEN: 11 a.m. EST, Tuesday, April 28, 2009 CONFERENCE CALL INSTRUCTIONS: Contact the agency to sign up for the dial in number and password. WHAT: How does a company achieve six consecutive years of same store sales when the economy has been on a consistent spiral downward? According to Harsha V...

Mayor of Lawrenceville Proclaims April 1st, "Start Up a Franchise, Start Up the Economy" Day Lawrenceville, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Church's Chicken® will unveil the brand's latest store prototype to its network of franchisees in Lawrenceville, Georgia, on April 1, 2009. Large flat-bed rigs will haul and massive cranes will put into place a modular restaurant concept, which Church's officials say will cut the overall cost of a new store by 20-30 percent. The structure is a 100-percent factory-built unit and can be fully finished and ready for business in less than three days. In honor of the event, Mayor Rex A. Millsaps of Lawrenceville, will proclaim April 1, 2009, "Start Up a Franchise, Start Up the Economy" Day.

Church's President and CEO, Harsha V...

Brand Also Attributes Domestic and International Franchise Growth to Fifth Year of Positive, Consecutive Same-Store Sales Atlanta--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Church's Chicken® continues to see a successful fifth year stride of positive same store domestic sales. Company officials attribute Church's strong performance to breakthrough marketing strategies and aggressive expansion domestically and internationally. Church's recipe for success focuses on successful new product introductions, strong creative campaign and an appealing and affordable value menu that align with Church's tried and true focused value proposition.

Church's Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Farnaz Wallace said, "Our marketing team as well as the research and development team work hard to ensure they develop thoughtful strategies, creative campaigns and relevant product offerings that will resonate well with our customer base...

Restaurant chain tally damage from Hurricane Ike; helps residents and franchisees Atlanta--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As thousands of Houston and Beaumont citizens attempt to recover from the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, Church's Chicken is lending a helping hand by providing relief to not only Church's franchises impacted by the storm, but to area residents as well.

The fast food restaurant chain had roughly 140 franchised locations in the Beaumont and Houston areas that were hit hard by the storm, and many of them closed due to the disaster. Church's corporate headquarters, based in Atlanta, along with their Houston and Beaumont franchisees tallied the damage and responded quickly by filling trucks with chicken on route to those markets...

September 04, 2008 // Franchising.com // - Church's Chicken franchise, the Atlanta-based chicken fast-food chain opened its first restaurant in UK this year. It is a new step for the franchise that already has 1600 locations worldwide in 19 countries. It is their second move in Europe following Russia at the end of 2007, and certainly not the last move as Church's Chicken franchise is willing to expand all over Europe.

1700 chicken restaurants are present in the UK and there is a real market for chicken there. Church's Chicken plans to open 50 restaurants in the UK before the end of the year. Most of these locations already exist with the name of Dixie Fried Chicken and are being converted into Church's Chicken.

Today, Church's Chicken is one of the largest quick-service chicken concepts in the world...

Brand Partners with Real Estate Provider to Efficiently Drive Growth Objectives

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Church's Chicken® recently entered into a partnership with NAI Global, a leader in retail real estate services for commercial and corporate businesses. NAI will provide the brand with corporate real estate services by lending expertise in site selection for company and franchise development.

The team at NAI Global will work in tandem with Church's franchise development team to assist franchisees in locating new store sites for either the conversion of existing buildings or the construction of new restaurants.

"Our franchisees are highly dedicated to future growth, and our team wants to enable their success by offering assistance that expedites the site selection process," said Doug Pendergast, Executive Vice President and Chief Franchise Officer for Church's...

Church's Chicken Franchisees Pen 30 New Development Options Due to Continued Profitability in a Struggling U.S. Market

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Church's Chicken® recently sold 30 new options to current franchisees, who in large part said they reinvested due to their continued business success in a soft U.S. economy. The new development deals were signed in less than one month's time, after Church's franchise development team offered current franchisees attractive discounts throughout April, in honor of the brand's global convention.

Doug Pendergast, Executive Vice President and Chief Franchise Officer for Church's, attributed continued franchisee profitability to Church's "small is beautiful" development philosophy, which focuses on construction programs and restaurant design prototypes that are carefully crafted to minimize cost and maximize efficiency...

Church's Chicken Names Fletcher Martin Agency of Record for Eastern U.S. Media and Print

April 30, 2008 // Franchising.com // ATLANTA, GA – Church's Chicken (TM) taps Atlanta-based Fletcher Martin as the agency of record for print and media throughout the Eastern United States. The scope of work includes co-op management, media planning and buying, and a direct mail program through FM's highly specialized Traffic Generators division.

Mark Williams, Church's national field marketing director explained the selection, "Fletcher Martin emerged as the unanimous selection of the group based upon: a clear understanding of our extensive account service needs and expectations, a solid staffing plan (transitional and ongoing), strong broadcast media planning/buying capabilities and an ability to deliver a high level of print expertise...

Brand Positions Itself for Continued Growth in the U.S. and around the World for 2008

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Atlanta-based Church's Chicken® recently announced 99 store openings in 2007, representing seven percent unit growth globally, and setting a company record for total restaurant openings in a single year after Arcapita, Inc. took the brand private in 2004. The brand opened 59 restaurants in the U.S. and 40 restaurants internationally, and added 12 new domestic franchise partners in the process.

"Church's continues to aggressively pursue growth opportunities, and our record openings from last year confirm that we engage in programs which offer a competitive advantage and attractive profits to our franchisees," said Harsha V...

Top Franchisee Opens Milestone Store in Missouri

KANSAS CITY, Mo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Atlanta-based Church's Chicken® celebrated the opening of its 1600th restaurant worldwide on December 20, 2007 in Blue Springs, Mo. – a suburb of Kansas City – with top franchisee, Shan Ali of SNSA, Inc., who owns a total of 13 Church's restaurants.

"Church's has, for nearly 56 years, continued its tradition of serving flavorful chicken at a great value with little fanfare," said Harsha V. Agadi, President and CEO of Church's Chicken®. "As we grow, we remain committed to putting care and intention in preparing our food – we love introducing our freshly prepared chicken and handmade-from-scratch biscuits to new communities across the country...

Largest Franchisee for Church's Chicken® Gives Back in a Big Way

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Falcon Holdings, LLC donated $26,000 to the Muscular Dystrophy Association on behalf of Church's Chicken® at the MDA's annual Jerry Lewis telethon held in early September. The company, owned by Aslam Khan, operates over 100 Church's Chicken restaurants in the Midwest. The staff in each restaurant was charged with the task of selling MDA shamrocks for one dollar apiece. The company also reached out to its vendors for donations.

"We believe in the MDA's simple, noble cause," Khaled Habash, President of Falcon Holdings, LLC, said. "And our employees benefited from being involved in the experience – in one month's time, the effort gained significant momentum – we're looking forward to next year...

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Church's Chicken® announces an agreement with WETCO Restaurant Group, LLC, to purchase 20 Church's restaurants in the New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and Alexandria markets. This purchase plan will help to preserve over 400 jobs and ensure the continued operation of the restaurants.

The deal involves WETCO, Church's Chicken and GE Capital and allows WETCO to be restructured as part of a consensual Chapter 11 bankruptcy. GE Capital is the senior creditor while Cajun is both the franchisor and a major creditor.

The need to restructure arose primarily from the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina and the financial ripple effects that followed.

Church's management says much of the credit for this deal goes to Bill Tucker, Founder and CEO of WETCO...