FSR August 2023

DENNY’S RENAISSANCE CEO Kelli Valade is renewing relevance at the 70-year-old breakfast giant by getting back to 24/7 operations and implementing new tech and menu innovation, elevating the nearly 1,600-unit diner chain to new heights. BY CALLIE EVERGREEN

KELLI VALADE is a star example of some one who grew up in the res taurant industry and made it all the way to the top as a brand CEO. Her love of food began as a kid cooking and eating Italian meatballs and dishes in her grandmother’s kitchen, and Valade landed her first restaurant gig at 16 as a hostess at a TJ’s Big Boy in upstate New York, where people came in for the all-day breakfast buffet. “I actually find it both ironic and just a beautiful part of the story to say it’s come full circle for me, being at a Denny’s and now Keke’s,” Valade says. “That shaped everything for me after that.” “I always thought restaurants are more than just food and suste nance,” she continues. “And I think I just got the bug from day one. So it's all I've ever done. It’s fast paced, it’s amazing for me, and afforded me an opportunity to go to college.” Fast forward to Valade’s grand entrance into Denny’s as CEO in June 2022, which was immediately met with another seismic event: the brand’s $82.5 million acquisition of Keke’s Breakfast Café just a month

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FSRMAGAZINE.COM

AUGUST 2023