News

Krystal appoints new CEO, management team

April 5, 2012

Less than a month after it was acquired by private investment firm Argonne Capital Group LLC, The Krystal Company has put new leadership in place to oversee the 80-year-old, Chattanooga, Tenn.-based burger chain.

Doug Pendergast has been named CEO of the brand, replacing James Fred Exum Jr. A 12-year restaurant industry veteran, Pendergast comes to Krystal from Chattanooga-based CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries Inc., where he served as chief development & franchising officer. Prior to joining CraftWorks, Pendergast was EVP & chief franchise officer at Church's Chicken where he and his team grew Church's by 250 units throughout a five-year period.

"I am delighted to be part of a company with both a deep history and strong growth potential," Pendergast said. "The leadership team and investors deserve tremendous credit for stabilizing the company and building a sound foundation for expansion."

The Executive Board also named Al Ryan as the new vice president of Operations and Partha Mukherjee as chief information officer. Ryan most recently served as VP of International Operations for Church's Chicken, managing 450 restaurants. Prior to joining Church's, he was director of operations for Domino's Pizza. Mukherjee also is a Church's veteran, most recently serving as CIO of the chain.

"By adding these new players to an already talented management slate, we're building a team that will lead Krystal along the steep growth trajectory established in recent months," said Harsha V. Agadi, non-executive chairman of the board at Krystal. "Our brand and our customers have a great future ahead."

The Krystal Company has 360 units in 11 states.

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