Weldon Spangler, a longtime TGI Fridays board member and highly experienced restaurant executive, has been appointed CEO of TGI Fridays, effective immediately. He succeeds Brandon Coleman, who has resigned for personal reasons.
Mr. Spangler will lead implementation of the growth plan to revitalize the iconic brand on a global scale. There are currently 700 TGI Fridays restaurants in 51 countries offering high quality American food and drinks.
Mr. Spangler brings extensive background in the restaurant industry and his impressive career spans over 30 years of experience, during which he has built a reputation for his unwavering focus on customer experience, store operations, and marketing with successful tenures at Subway, Papa Murphy’s, Dunkin’ Brands, and Starbucks.
This change in leadership marks a pivotal moment in TGI Fridays’ history. With Mr. Spangler at the helm, TGI Fridays is poised to put in place its new strategic plan for growth, innovation, and excellence.
Rohit Manocha, Co-Founder of TriArtisan Capital, a New York-based private equity firm and the controlling shareholder of TGI Fridays with extensive experience in the restaurant sector, will continue to collaborate closely with Mr. Spangler and the dedicated team at TGI Fridays in his role as the active Chairman of the company.
Mr. Spangler commented about his appointment, “I thank Rohit and the board for their trust in me and look forward to working closely with the board on executing on our new growth-oriented business plan focused on revitalizing TGI Fridays. We are a well-loved brand around the world, which is a strong foundation on which to build our business and brand.”
