Dive Brief:
- Twin Hospitality Group, parent company of Twin Peaks and Smokey Bones, has appointed Kim Boerema as its CEO, effective immediately, the company said in a Thursday press release.
- Boerema, former president and chief operating officer of Parry’s Pizzeria & Taphouse, succeeds Joe Hummel. Hummel resigned from his post on April 10 along with chief legal officer Clay Mingus after both had spent over seven years with the chain.
- Boerema, who has over 30 years of industry experience, joins the company roughly four months after Twin Hospitality was spun off from Fat Brands through an IPO in late January.
Dive Insight:
Boerema has significant experience in growing chains and boosting sales, skills that will complement Twin Peaks’ aggressive growth strategy. He most recently served as president and chief operating officer of Parry’s Pizzeria & Taphouse where he helped scale the brand from 10 units to 30 in two and a half years, according to the press release.
Boerema’s résumé includes serving as CEO and president of Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant, where he oversaw transformation efforts. He also worked at California Pizza Kitchen as COO, where he was responsible for creating a cost-effective store prototype and rebuilding the operations and leadership teams. He also worked at Texas Roadhouse as a regional vice president, overseeing 125 units across 22 states.
“Kim brings deep expertise in franchising, corporate operations, and profitability enhancement, making him ideally positioned to lead Twin Peaks in its next stage of growth,” Ken Kuick, CFO of Twin Hospitality Group and co-CEO of Fat Brands, said in a statement. “Kim's background and proven leadership will be instrumental as we look to scale the Twin Peaks brand.”
Twin Peaks has a robust development pipeline of 100 units, of which 75% will be built by franchisees. During the first quarter, the chain opened two Twin Peaks restaurants, including a conversion of a Smokey Bones restaurant, Kuick said during a May earnings call. During the quarter, the chain signed a five-unit deal that will bring the brand into South Dakota and Montana.
While the company posted systemwide sales growth of 5% in Q1 2025, comparable sales fell 1.5% in the quarter, which included a 2.7% decline at company-owned restaurants and a 1% decrease from franchise restaurants. Twin Peaks has subsequently seen improvements to sales, with a 0.4% increase in March partially driven by the NCAA championship basketball tournament and a shift of Easter from the second to first quarter, Kuick said.
Twin Peaks, which boasts high average unit volumes, also has several initiatives underway to bolster sales, including a new bar menu that launched in February with 19 premium handcrafted cocktails. While alcohol makes up 50% of restaurant revenue, Twin Peaks has other various menu innovations in the pipeline that could help increase mix, including new wing sauces and premium burger and flatbread toppings to help boost these top selling items.
