Andy Simpson Email & Phone Number

United States

Northeast Region Outback Steakhouse

As RVP I oversaw multiple millions in annual sales at 116 Outback Restaurants in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Michigan. Supported 14 directors of operations. Managed all aspects of operations, including recruiting, developing, and managing group of high-performing, multi-unit managers, training team, and 116 managing partners. Collaborated with executive leadership team to set strategic direction for region and brand. Facilitated leadership development at all levels. Cultivated diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture while creating connections with local communities to give back. Focused on people and leadership and DEI development, operational excellence, and organizational prioritization. Drove sales and traffic growth, fiscal responsibility, brand innovation, and development. Promoted ten regional directors and one regional vice president from within region.

Joint Venture Partner for Outback Steakhouse.I oversaw 10 Outback Steakhouses in Greater Philadelphia region.As the JVP I was always looking for great talent to contribute to this high performing market. Great opportunities for all positions; entry level managers, KM's and potential Managing Partners.

Founded in 1995, STARR Restaurants is one of fastest growing restaurant companies in the country. STARR restaurants include Alma de Cuba, Barclay Prime, Buddakan, Butcher & Singer, Continental, Continental Mid-town, Jones, El Rey, El Vez, Morimoto, POD, Parc, Pizzeria Stella, The Dandelion, Square Burger, Frankford Hall, Fette Sau. Expanding into New York Starr opened Morimoto and Buddakan. The company also runs Buddakan and Continental in Atlantic City and Makoto and Steak 954 in Florida. STARR events is the group's full-service catering and special events division.As restaurant director I supported and managed multiple fine-dining, chef-driven concepts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, including Morimoto (sushi), Butcher and Singer (steak), The Dandelion (English pub), and Pod (Asian fusion restaurant). Managed and developed chefs and managers in each restaurant. Drove menu development and tasting, sales building, and financial management.Created and implemented a food safety program, resulting in lowest health department scores in the company.Implemented seasonal menus that drove restaurant sales records in each restaurant.Created talent development plan for new managers.

XFINITY Live! Philadelphia (xfinitylive.com) is a dining and entertainment district centered in the heart of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. Opening April 5, 2012, XFINITY Live! Philadelphia will contain over a dozen restaurant and entertainment choices, including six main venues: Victory Beer Hall, Broad Street Bullies Pub, Spectrum Grille, PBR Bar & Grill (Professional Bull Riders), Philly Marketplace, and the first-ever NBC Sports Arena. XFINITY Live! Philadelphia is joint partnership between Philadelphia-based Comcast-Spectacor and Baltimore-based The Cordish Companies.As COO I oversaw the 800-square-foot dining and entertainment complex in Philadelphia sports area, with six restaurants, 14 bars, live music, and sports entertainment. Opened first-of-its-kind dining and entertainment center in heart of Philadelphia sports and entertainment complex. Created strategic and operational plan for opening, and hired and trained executive team of six, as well as management team of 30 and 800 employees. Opened center to large sales volume and traffic, serving as destination for sports viewing, music, and dining entertainment. Led team in all aspects of operations, local community marketing and sales promotion, and all financial management.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

I provided franchise and company restaurant development advice and support for small or large business's, in any segment of the industry, I assessed and provided solutions to help improve and grow their business.Talent acquisition, development, operational execution, financial planning and achieving improved financial results are all within my scope.

$230M Sales Budget ~ 60 Restaurants (up to $7M volume) ~ Opened 3 Restaurants ~ 8 Directors / 300 Managers / 6000 EmployeesPromoted to oversee the highest volume division, ($230M annual sales) in company and highest average unit volume ($3.8M vs. $3.2M) across all stores in 5 states. Worked collaboratively with team of directors and human resources support to champion a culture of inclusion and diversity while creating a great place to work and grow for individual managers and staff.+ Growth & Change: Executed strategy resulting in greatly improved guest metrics and food safety scores. Opened 3 stores in 3 years and ran some of the toughest markets by volume and operation.+ Profit Wins: Improved profit by 10% over 2 years; exceeded planned profit by $1.1M (13% EBITDA); transformed 12% sales deficit in 2008 to a flat performance in just 2 years.+ Cost Containment: Produced -4% labor waste in 2010 and achieved 2% back-of-house average; devised programs that saved $7M annually.+ Team Development: Orchestrated talent development and recruitement program leading to promotion of 2 high-performing general managers to director level and on-boarding of 2 sought-after outside directors. Reduced management turnover from 24.9% to 22%.

$200M Sales ~ 50 Restaurants ~ $1.1M profit above plan in 2009 ~ 7 Directors / 200 Managers / 5000 EmployeesTransformed this failing division into a key contributor within just 9 months. Teamed with executive leadership to create internal culture of purpose that focused on education, training, quality, service, and sustained performance. + Service Improvement: Raised guest satisfaction from 62% to 71.7% in 2009; reduced guest contacts from 3 per 10,000 guests to an average of 1.2 per 10,000.+ Audits: Improved food safety audit scores from 60% to 85%; raised customers scores up to 68% from a low 56%. + Talent Development & Loyalty Programs: Created new director team by developing and promoting 2 GM’s and recruiting an outside director. + Giving Back: Led numerous non-profit initiatives including Habitat for Humanity, Children’s Miracle Network, internal fundraisers, and in-store clothing and food drives

BRIAD GROUP: 70 Restaurants Coast to Coast ~ $210M Annual Sales ~ 2 Mergers / AcquisitionsEAST COAST FRANCHISE: 10 Franchise Partnerships ~ 55+ Restaurants / 7 Airport Locales ~ $280M Annual Sales ~ $12M Royalties ~ Opened 10 New RestaurantsPromoted to direct all franchises on east coast, then retained to exclusively oversee Briad Group’s investment of the TGIF brand during period of explosive growth with franchisee.+ Expansion: Managed Briad Group’s expansion from 20 east coast locations and $35M sales to 70+ restaurants with $210M annual sales through acquisitions. Added $30M to east coast’s revenue with 10 new restaurants and $42M through growth in airport market.+ Franchise Development: Built franchises from ground up by working with individual owners and teams on food saftety programs, customer service, and administrative requirements of franchisees. Created and executed new franchise selection, orientation, onboarding, and development programs.+ Change Management: Created specific goals around guest advocacy, food service, professional development, and community.

Managed from 8-12 restaurants in MD/DE/PA/NJ. Opened 9 new restaurants and grew market by $45M in sales, dividing market four times.Led division in various metrics at various times in my tenure. I became an integral part of the East team and performed many leadership roles within the team.

12 Franchises ~ 10 New Concept Locations ~ 9 New Restaurants ~ 10% Annual Guest Count Increase ~ 10 New International Management Teams / 60 Managers / 3,000 EmployeesRecruited to build TGIF brand in Mexico, Latin America, South America, New Zealand, Australia, India, and Pakistan – most countries with no previous relationship with brand – working between the corporate office and owners.+ Site Selection: Worked with franchisees to select sites and handle construction. Managed product procurement, trained management teams, created development programs, and provided all aspects of franchise support.+ Brand Management: Educated key players on every facet of brand and S.O.P.’s without benefit of laptops, cell phones, and standard training materials.ADDITIONAL POSITIONS WITHIN CARLSON COMPANIES INCLUDE GENERAL MANAGEMENT AND MANAGEMENT POSITIONS.