It's time for readers to vote on this year's Restaurant Leader of the Year. The award honors the CEO whose work during the course of the year stood out and helped their chain succeed.
Voting will be open through May 26, and Restaurant Business will announce the winner in June.
In the meantime, all five nominees will be on a panel discussion to talk about the future of the restaurant industry on May 25. Register for the discussion here.
Here are the nominees and links to their profile stories:
Jose Cil, CEO, Restaurant Brands International. Cil runs the parent company of Burger King, Tim Hortons and Popeyes. The latter chain had one of the most popular new product introductions with its chicken sandwich and the company's international growth has been remarkable.
Dave Deno, CEO, Bloomin' Brands. The owner of Outback Steakhouse and Carrabba's guided the company through the pandemic and led the casual dining sector's charge into takeout and delivery, all while ensuring workers remained employed.
Rob Lynch, CEO, Papa John's. Helped slaughter some sacred cows, and preserve others, as the pizza delivery concept rebounded from a brutal two-year slump to become one of the strongest performing chains during the pandemic.
Charlie Morrison, CEO, Wingstop. Guided the chicken wing chain to consistent growth despite a volatile and often difficult chicken wing market, implementing technology to make the ordering process simple. In the process, the company inspired numerous competitors for delivered wings.
Todd Penegor, CEO, Wendy's. Managed to convince a system that had tried and failed to add breakfast for decades to give the daypart one more go. The result generated strong sales despite the pandemic and won over franchisees while helping Wendy's become the second-largest burger chain in the U.S.
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