Meet the Franchise Team
The Brains Behind Our Successful Franchises
The mantra of the Huddle House franchise support team is “What can I do today to serve the needs of our Franchise Partners?” Our service-minded franchise leadership team is headed up by a tight-knit group of highly-experienced food service veterans. Michael Abt came to Huddle House as CEO in 2012 with a lot of experience under his belt as both a franchisee and franchisor, and he has set the tone ever since. His franchisee-first philosophy has made an impression and elevated the Huddle House franchise opportunity.
Abt, who was named one of Nation’s Restaurant News’ most influential leaders in foodservice in 2016, believes the franchisor-franchisee relationship is key to building and growing a successful company.
“Our success is dependent upon every individual franchise partner, so how we serve them and support them is vital,” Abt says. “You can’t identify your key opportunities as a brand unless you understand what your franchise partners need to succeed.”
MICHAEL ABT
Chief Executive Officer
Michael is an industry veteran with extensive experience growing brands. He was a senior vice president with Arby’s, responsible for more than 1000 restaurants, before joining Huddle House as CEO in 2012. As a long-time restaurant operator, he understands what’s required to operate a successful restaurant and works closely with franchise partners to continually evolve the brand and maintain a competitive position. He and his team are focused on executing the brand vision: “To be small town America’s family dining choice”. His organization is centered on providing outstanding franchise partner support in order to consistently deliver a memorable experience for Huddle House guests and boost profitability
TROY TRACY
Chief Operations Officer
Troy joined Huddle House in 2013 with over 15 years of multi-unit leadership in corporate operations in brands including Captain D’s and Pizza Hut, franchise support and as a franchise partner for both McAlister’s Deli and Arby’s Restaurant Group. Tracy oversees systemwide corporate and franchise field operations.
ALISON GLENN DELANEY
Chief Marketing Officer
Alison has over 30 years of experience in building restaurant brands with companies including T.G.I. Friday’s, Marie Callender’s, Ruby Tuesday and Ponderosa. She is responsible for reinforcing, both through our menu and our messaging, that Huddle House is the hometown diner for people who want to relax and catch up over breakfast, lunch, dinner or later, no matter what the occasion.
DAVID KRISHER
Chief Financial Officer
David, who has been in the restaurant industry since 2006, oversees all aspects of Accounting and Finance. He has been with Huddle House for over a decade and has experience supporting franchise operations with a diverse set of brands including, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Checkers/Rally’s, Domino’s Pizza and Subway.
MELISSA ROTHRING
Executive Vice President & General Counsel
Melissa joined the Huddle House team in 2013 and serves as General Counsel and Executive Vice President to Huddle House, Inc. She has over 20 years of experience in franchising business analysis and management, focusing on financial and legal management initiatives with a concentration on effective branding and operational strategies. Rothring previously held executive leadership positions for GFG Management LLC, whose holdings include Great American Cookies, Marble Slab Creamery and Maggie Moo’s; and Kahala Corp., whose holdings include Blimpie, Pinkberry and Cold Stone Creamery.
NATHAN BALLARD
Chief Supply Chain Officer
Nathan oversees all food, supply and smallware distribution from the HHI Customer Support Center. He is a 20-year veteran of the distribution industry who joined Huddle House in 2004. Previously, Ballard served in Transportation Management roles at industry leaders A&P Supermarkets and GAF Materials Corp.
TIM LINDERMAN
Chief Development Officer
Tim, who joined Huddle House in 2019, began his career in franchise development more than 15 years ago and has played an integral role in growing multiple national brands including Arby’s Restaurant Group and GFG Management LLC (Great American Cookies, Marble Slab Creamery, Pretzelmaker, Hot Dog On A Stick, and Round Table Pizza). Tim has a strong record of store growth for franchise concepts developed through uniting and motivating teams, driving franchisee satisfaction, and focusing on strategic development opportunities that build the brand for long-term, sustainable growth.
STEVE PATEL
Vice President, Information Technology
Steve joined the Huddle House team in 2019 to bring a new level of information security and strategic thought leadership to the Company. His restaurant IT career began in 2002 with Wendy’s International where he focused on technology processes and solution implementations at both the Corporate and operating restaurant levels. After 9 years, he joined Church’s Chicken to lead the IT department. Over the years Steve managed the PCI-DSS compliancy program for the Corporate-owned restaurants and co-developed the strategy for e-Commerce and Marketing/Digital Technology.
MARILYN LEISTER
Vice President, Human Resources
Marilyn, who has been in the restaurant industry since 2005, joined Huddle House in 2018. She has maintained her HR certifications since 2009, while gaining recognition for developing and implementing strategies and programs to support the strategic and tactical business objectives of the organization. Previously, Marilyn transformed and elevated the HR function across employee communications, policy development, training, on-boarding, and benefits administration for the largest singly-owned Domino’s franchise Team Cowabunga consisting of more than 2500 employees.
Huddle House is Growing -
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Disclaimer: © 2019 Huddle House, Inc. This does not constitute an offer to sell a franchise. The offer of a franchise can only be made through the delivery of a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). Certain states require that we register the FDD in those states. This communication is not directed by us to residents of any of those states. Moreover, we will not offer or sell franchises in those states until we have registered the franchise (or obtained an applicable exemption from registration) and delivered the FDD to the prospective franchisee in compliance with applicable law.
