Dive Brief:
- BJ’s Restaurants has promoted Lyle D. Tick to CEO and president, effective Thursday, the company said in a press release. In addition, the company’s CFO, Thomas A. Houdek, will resign from his post on June 20.
- Tick, current president and chief concept officer, will succeed interim CEO C. Bradford Richmond, who will become special advisor to the CEO during Tick’s transition. Richmond will remain a member of the board of directors.
- Tick joined BJ’s Restaurants in September 2024, after serving as president and CEO at On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina. He has played a key role in creating BJ’s strategic vision, that is focused on the employee experience, menu and improved hospitality.
Dive Insight:
BJ’s Restaurants, which posted 1.7% same-store sales growth in Q1, has been without a permanent CEO since Gregory S. Levin stepped down from the role in late August. Levin was with the company for 19 years and became CEO in 2021.
William Blair analyst Sharon Zackfia said Tick’s promotion was “unsurprising” and “largely expected.” Tick has experience turning a brand around and driving sales.
For roughly five years as brand president at Buffalo Wild Wings, Tick led a revitalization effort that included “a return to its sport bar legacy, an updated design, and a revamped menu alongside the launch of the smaller delivery/takeout concept Buffalo Wild Wings GO,” Zackfia said.
In the months since joining BJ’s, Tick already has made a big impression.
“As President and Chief Concept Officer, Lyle has quickly re-focused the Company’s core sales and profit-driving initiatives to further differentiate our concept while capturing opportunities to reduce operational complexity,” Lea Anne S. Ottinger, BJ’s board chair, said in a statement. “We are confident that under his leadership, BJ’s will continue to drive sustainable growth and create long-term shareholder value.”
The company’s ongoing strategy to drive sales includes menu innovation, like its Pizookie Meal Deal, Tick said in the company’s Q1 2025 earnings release. That item improved the chain’s value proposition, he said during an earnings call. A Pizookie Platter, which combined four regular sized Pizookie’s into one treat, gained significant play on social media, generating 57 million organic social impressions. The chain sold more than 24,000 platters, Tick said. Menu innovation contributed to a 2.7% traffic bump during the quarter.
The chain also has been working on improving team member experience, such as updating its point-of-sales and kitchen display systems that can help employees input menu items, boost accuracy and speed of service. This has helped reduce comping of food and beverages by 13% year over year, Tick said.
