Kelli Valade

Kelli Valade Email and Phone Number

CEO Dennys @ Denny's
Texas, United States
Kelli Valade's Location
Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, United States, United States
Kelli Valade's Contact Details

Kelli Valade personal email

n/a

Kelli Valade phone numbers

About Kelli Valade

Kelli Valade joined Denny’s Corporation as CEO in June 2022. With a commitment to delivering a guest-first experience in a welcoming and friendly environment, Kelli continues to elevate the brand’s purpose and value. Overseeing both Denny’s and Keke’s Breakfast Café, Kelli is excited about the opportunity of growing both brands.Before joining Denny’s, Kelli led restaurant insights powerhouse Black Box Intelligence™ as the CEO and President, with a focus on helping the restaurant industry recover from the effects of the pandemic. Kelli left Black Box in 2021 after a successful strategic sale of the company to Diversis Capital. Kelli then joined Red Lobster as CEO in August of 2021 and spent her time building a strong team poised to deliver on a renewed “relevance” strategy.Prior to this, Kelli spent over 22 years at Brinker International, including serving as Brand President for Chili's Grill & Bar where she was responsible for 80,000+ ChiliHeads and more than 1,600 restaurants. In this role, she established a clear vision and bold strategies and cultivated a purpose-driven culture, all with uncompromising dedication to the guest and her team members. While at Brinker, she previously held other leadership positions including Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of Human Resources. Kelli landed her first restaurant job at age 16 as a hostess. It was there Kelli found the same love of great food and the same connection around the table she’d experienced her entire childhood, cooking and eating Italian food around her grandmother’s kitchen table in New York. Kelli discovered early where her passion for life intersected with work, and she’s built a career living out that passion.Kelli serves on the board of the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation (NRAEF), the executive committee of the board of the Women’s Foodservice Forum (WFF), and the board of directors for Seasoned, a start-up company focused on breakthrough recruiting solutions for restaurant companies. Kelli also sits on the Board of Trustees for the Shelton School in Dallas.Kelli has received industry recognitions, including Nation’s Restaurant News’ Top 50 Power List in 2017, 2019 and 2021, The Western Foodservice and Hospitality Expo’s Beacon Award in 2016 and Dallas Business Journal’s Woman Worth Watching Award in 2013. She also recently earned the distinguished alumni award from Binghamton University. Kelli earned her bachelor’s degree from Binghamton University and an MBA from Syracuse University. She is married and has two adult children.

Kelli Valade's Current Company Details
Denny's

Denny'S

View
CEO Dennys
Texas, United States
Kelli Valade Work Experience Details
  • Denny'S
    Ceo Dennys
    Denny'S
    Texas, United States
  • Denny'S
    Ceo Dennys
    Denny'S May 2022 - Present
    Spartanburg, Sc, Us
  • Seasoned.Co
    Member Board Of Directors
    Seasoned.Co Jan 2021 - Present
  • Shelton School
    Member Board Of Trustees
    Shelton School Jun 2018 - Present
  • National Restaurant Association Education Foundation
    Member Board Of Directors
    National Restaurant Association Education Foundation Jan 2019 - Present
  • Wff
    Board Of Directors
    Wff Jan 2018 - Present
    Dallas, Texas, Us
  • Red Lobster
    Ceo
    Red Lobster Aug 2021 - Apr 2022
    Orlando, Florida, Us
  • Black Box Intelligence
    President & Ceo
    Black Box Intelligence Jan 2019 - Jul 2021
    Dallas, Texas, Us
    Determined to make a larger impact on the restaurant industry, Kelli Valade joined Black Box Intelligence in 2019 as the President and CEO. Her efforts include leading the brand to continued success through strategy, intention and direction.Black Box Intelligence™ (formerly TDn2K) is the leading data and insights provider of workforce, guest, consumer and financial performance benchmarks for the hospitality industry. The Black Box Intelligence product suite is the industry standard for operators seeking to achieve best-in-class performance results. With the largest and most reliable set of real restaurant data in the marketplace, Black Box Intelligence currently tracks and analyzes more than 300 companies, over 2.8 million employees and $75 billion in annual sales revenue. Black Box Intelligence is also the producer of the Global Best Practices Conference held annually in Dallas, Texas.
  • Chili'S
    Brand President
    Chili'S Jun 2016 - Oct 2018
    Dallas, Texas, Us
    As the first female brand president, Kelli leads a team of more than 80,000 ChiliHeads around the world and oversees more than 1,600 restaurants in 31 countries and two territories. In this role, she has established a clear vision and bold strategy, cultivated a purpose-driven culture and executed the largest menu change in the brand's history. Kelli established "Women Taking the Lead (WTL)," an initiative designed to educate, encourage and motivate young Chili's leaders to dream big and achieve their career goals.
  • Chili'S
    Chief Operating Officer
    Chili'S Jul 2010 - Jun 2016
    Dallas, Texas, Us
    Launched the “Plan to Win” turnaround strategy that achieved a 400-basis point margin improvement, reversed negative traffic trends, and surpassed best historical cost of sales, labor, and guest metric improvements. Developed and implemented Chili’s “Team Service” initiative that saved the company $32M in labor efficiencies in just one year, improved the guest experience, and doubled average restaurant cash flows.Improved restaurant operating margin from 10% to 15%, EBITDA to 22%, and doubled Brinker’s EPS growth over three years.Led the acquisition of 103 franchise restaurants, assimilating them back into the corporate environment. Delivered above-expectation returns on the acquired restaurants.Responsible for nationwide “Re-image 2020” remodel program, delivering +3% traffic lift system-wide.Led and managed fundraising efforts for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, delivering largest corporate donation of $50M in less than ten years. Recommitted an additional $30M to benefit Chili’s/St. Jude School of Hope.Implemented “Best Life” wellbeing platform with programs tied to improving team members’ career, social, financial, community, and physical wellbeing, achieving all-time high Team Engagement scores.Empowered women’s workforce by developing “Women Taking the Lead,” the brand’s first ever women’s leadership initiative. Created a program to promote and retain female leaders at the General Manager and multi-unit level. Launched the Digital Guest Experience as the first casual dining brand to implement “Pay at the Table” technology, improving throughput and guest satisfaction. Later introduced and executed CRM, OLO platform, and curbside delivery.Consistently delivered excellence in “People Metrics”, including culture, world-class engagement scores, and industry leading turnover and diversity.
  • Brinker International
    Executive Vice President
    Brinker International Jun 2016 - Sep 2018
    Dallas, Texas, Us
    Full responsibility for all aspects of leading the Chili’s organization, Brinker’s flagship brand. Created brand strategy and direction, and oversaw all executive leadership functions for 1,600 restaurants; 75,000 team members; and $3B in annual revenues.As a key member of the Brinker Executive Leadership Team, developed Brinker’s short and long-term strategies, responsible for communicating to Wall Street analysts, the Board of Directors, and Shareholders. Oversight for sister brand and Global Business Development. Managed domestic franchise partner relationships, including acquisitions and restaurant development.Grew average annual restaurant volumes (AAVs) from $2.8M to $3.1M in 18 months.Introduced “3 for $10” value menu platform, leveraging Chili’s core equities, driving immediate and sustaining traffic improvement of 8%.Responsible for hiring new advertising agency (AOR) and launching differentiated “Chili’s Is Back, Baby” campaign. Eliminated 50% of the menu and re-established Chili’s credibility and authority as the Casual Dining leader in Burgers, Ribs, Fajitas, and Margaritas. Resulted in historical traffic improvement of +13% in just five quarters, simplified operations and improved guest satisfaction. Directed and led the transition to a new digital innovation strategy with a differentiated Customer Relationship Management (CRM) program, securing over seven million active users and a “best in class” loyalty program that delivered improved MROI while lowering overall marketing spend.
  • National Restaurant Association
    Board Member
    National Restaurant Association Jan 2018 - Aug 2018
    Washington, Dc, Us
  • Chili'S
    Senior Vice President Human Resources
    Chili'S Sep 2007 - Jun 2009
    Dallas, Texas, Us
    Introduced “Culture of Accountability” in partnership with operations, creating a multi-year, organizational shift to a stronger culture that stabilized brand health and improved overall results.Restructured and right-sized Operations and Human Resource functions, creating a more synergistic partnership, improving Team Engagement scores and saving $10M by eliminating inefficiencies.Launched a strategic retention initiative with completely revamped recruiting and training platforms. Lowered turnover by over 60%.
  • Brinker International
    Senior Director, Corporate Human Resources And Diversity & Inclusion
    Brinker International Mar 2000 - Apr 2002
    Dallas, Texas, Us
    Led the corporate Human Resource function for all nine brands in Brinker Portfolio.Developed and implemented comprehensive, company-wide, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, created KPIs starting with the CEO, delivering immediate improvement in diversity awareness and promotion rates.

Kelli Valade Skills

Restaurant Management Restaurants Multi Unit Food Service Team Building Food And Beverage New Restaurant Openings Leadership Training Strategic Planning Franchising Hospitality Income Statement Menu Development Leadership Development Hiring Employee Training Employee Relations Management P&l Food Catering P&l Management Succession Planning Conference Speaking Culinary Skills Customer Service Applicant Tracking Systems Onboarding Recruiting Talent Acquisition Talent Management Strategy Public Speaking Human Resources

Kelli Valade Education Details

  • Syracuse University
    Syracuse University
    Marketing & Human Resource Management
  • Binghamton University
    Binghamton University
    Sociology

Frequently Asked Questions about Kelli Valade

What company does Kelli Valade work for?

Kelli Valade works for Denny's

What is Kelli Valade's role at the current company?

Kelli Valade's current role is CEO Dennys.

What is Kelli Valade's email address?

Kelli Valade's email address is ke****@****ter.com

What is Kelli Valade's direct phone number?

Kelli Valade's direct phone number is +197277*****

What schools did Kelli Valade attend?

Kelli Valade attended Syracuse University, Binghamton University.

What skills is Kelli Valade known for?

Kelli Valade has skills like Restaurant Management, Restaurants, Multi Unit, Food Service, Team Building, Food And Beverage, New Restaurant Openings, Leadership, Training, Strategic Planning, Franchising, Hospitality.

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