Dive Brief:
- SPB Hospitality unveiled its latest strategy, SPB Playbook, on Thursday, the company wrote in an emailed press release. SPB’s upscale casual brands, which include J. Alexander’s, and Krystal, now function as “parallel businesses” under one leadership team. Each chain is able to focus on its own strategies while leveraging “shared scale and experience,” the company said.
- The initiative comes six months after G.J. Hart, former Red Robin CEO, joined the company as SPB’s top executive.
- The holding company previously divested Logan’s Roadhouse in March, sold Old Chicago Pizza last year and jettisoned its brewery and specialty concepts in 2024 to better focus on its flagship brands.
Dive Insight:
SPB will continue to focus its portfolio around restaurant brands with strong “operational footing and long-term potential,” per the press release. SPB Playbook, an operating framework that is built around the company’s mission of “Great People. Remarkable Food. Exceptional Restaurants,” SPB Said.
SPB’s upscale casual portfolio is now anchored by J. Alexander’s and Stoney River Steakhouse and Grill, alongside other chef-driven concepts from Jose Garces, such as Amada and Village Whiskey.
Krystal will be led by Amanda Hyde, who became chief operating officer in March. She is tasked with building a strategy that best reflects Krystal’s “distinct guest expectations and competitive environment,” according to the restaurant chain/SPB.
SBP is also formalizing a head coach model that has long been a part of J. Alexander’s culture. Instead of traditional general managers, the role has a broader expectation around “accountability, team development and ownership,” the press release said. Eventually, the role will develop into an ownership partner structure, “further aligning performance with ownership and long-term success,” the company said.
SPB will also lean on J. Alexander’s as a growth vehicle going forward. The restaurant has a long tenure of leadership experience. Its expansion strategy focuses on “depth over breadth and growth in a market where it already has loyal guests and a proven track record,” the company said.
J. Alexander’s plans to open five units this year, which includes a recently opened restaurant in Plano, Texas. Other restaurants are planned in Prosper, Texas and within The Batter Atlanta in Georgia. An additional seven locations are planned for 2027, and another eight are expected to open in 2028.
“We’re going where we know we’ll win,” Hart said. “That means being thoughtful about where and how we grow and making sure we have the right teams in place before we do.”
The Playbook came after Hart completed a listening tour, asking operators, “What do you need to do your best work?” The answers sparked multiple changes, including “streamlined reporting, improved operator meetings, enhanced team member benefits and the rollout of goHappy, a frontline communications tool.”
