Dive Brief:
- Twin Hospitality Group appointed Andy Wiederhorn as CEO, effective immediately, the company said last week in a press release. The company terminated Kim Boerema as CEO of the company in December, but didn’t disclose a reason for his dismissal.
- Boerema joined the company as CEO in May 2025 after the resignation of Joe Hummel.
- Twin Hospitality was spun off from Fat Brands last January to help pay down the debt of its parent company, which grew to over $1 billion following several acquisitions. Fat Brands is under pressure from its creditors to pay its debt and previously said it is at risk of bankruptcy.
Dive Insight:
While Twin Hospitality, which operates Twin Peaks and Smokey Bones, continues to open restaurants and sign franchisee agreements, the company faced growing losses and declining same-store sales and revenue during the third quarter, according to an earnings release. The company closed 15 underperforming Smokey Bones restaurants last year, and plans to convert 19 units of that brand to Twin Peaks. Boerma said in an earnings release that these converted restaurants typically perform better than Smokey Bones.
Wiederhorn will work with leadership to create sustainable growth and improve operations, according to the press release. He has served on Twin Hospitality’s board since last August. He is also the CEO, founder and chairman at Fat Brands. He resigned from his post as CEO at Fat in 2023 following a federal investigation into alleged fraud. The Department of Justice dropped all charges last summer and Wiederhorn resumed his post as CEO in September.
Roger Gondek, who currently serves as COO of Twin Peaks Restaurant, will also assume the position of president at Twin Peaks in addition to his current title. Gondek has held the role of COO since 2017 and has over 15 years of experience with the brand.
“We remain focused on driving key business initiatives forward, including streamlining operations and enhancing the guest experience,” Wiederhorn said in a statement. “This leadership restructuring optimizes our resources while minimizing overhead, providing additional value as we work to restructure our debt and strengthen the company.”
