Denny’s announced Monday that Christopher Bode will take over as CEO, along with a two-year comeback plan targeting improvements in menu innovation, digital, and operations.
Bode brings over three decades of restaurant experience. Earlier in his career, he spent 20 years at Dunkin’ in various leadership roles. He also worked nearly 12 years as Denny’s COO before jumping to CKE Restaurants (parent of Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr.) to serve as COO and eventually president of Hardee’s USA. He then returned to Denny’s in September 2024 as president and COO.
The industry veteran replaces Kelli Valade, who became CEO of the Women’s Foodservice Forum in February.
The announcement comes about five months after Denny’s revealed it agreed to be acquired by private equity firm TriArtisan Capital Advisors, investment firm Treville Capital Group, and Denny’s franchisee Yadav Enterprises for $620 million. The acquisition took Denny’s private after being a public company for decades.
“I am honored to lead this iconic brand into its next chapter,” Bode said in a statement. “As we’ve transitioned from a public to a private company, we’ve approached our path forward with real examination, real adjustments, and a clearer focus on the things that actually move performance in our restaurants. We are operating in a difficult economic environment, but private ownership gives us more freedom to look at the business honestly, move faster where change is needed and make adjustments quickly. I am confident that we have the right plan in place to emerge as real winners.”
For the past few months, Anil Yadav, founder of Yadav Enterprises, has served as interim CEO. He’s also Denny’s chief transformation officer.
“Chris is a transformational leader who understands the heart and soul of this brand and the discipline required to run a global franchise system,” Yadav said in a statement. “His ability to bridge the gap between high-level corporate strategy and ‘boots-on-the-ground’ execution is exactly what we need to accelerate our growth. We are fully aligned in our vision to make Denny’s the undisputed leader in the family dining space once again.”
In conjunction with Bode’s promotion, Denny’s launched Project Grand Slam, which looks to “evolve the guest experience and maximize brand reach” through digital transformation, culinary and flavor innovation, an improved daypart beverage program, catering and bulk solutions, remodels, and an expanded presence in grocery stores.
Prior to the sale, Denny’s U.S. same-store sales decreased 2.9 percent in the third quarter. It finished those three months with 1,459 restaurants worldwide, 1,397 of which were franchised and licensed. In Q3, the chain opened one franchised store and finished 10 remodels. The domestic footprint has continued to shrink in recent years; in 2024, the company shuttered 88 units and planned to close another 70 to 90 restaurants in 2025.
But Bode has a history of succeeding with Denny’s. During his first stint as CEO (January 2011 to September 2022), the brand outperformed the family dining category in 30 of 45 quarters.
“With Project Grand Slam, we aren’t just changing the menu, we are changing our trajectory. We are going to innovate in the kitchen, lean into the massive opportunity in catering and ensure our franchise partners have the support they need to deliver four-wall excellence every single day,” Bode said. “The future of Denny’s is about being where our guests are – whether that’s in our dining rooms, through our mobile app or on their grocery shelves.”
Denny’s also owns Keke’s Breakfast Cafe, which it bought for $82.5 million in 2022. The brand had 78 units at the end of Q3 after operating 52 locations at the time of purchase.
