Hooters Execs Fly Coop for Twin Peaks

There's been a real shakeup in the breastaurant world.

On Tuesday, former Hooters CEO Coby Brooks is heading a franchise investment group that planst to open dozens of Twin Peaks restaurants in six states over 10 years.

Brooks just left the helm of the world's most famous breastaurant last month.

"I have great respect for Rick and his understanding of what it takes to build a national restaurant brand," said Brooks.  "His decision to join the Twin Peaks management team made my decision to pursue this opportunity that much easier.  I have certainly been watching Twin Peaks over the years. I like their product, atmosphere and the overall experience they give the consumer.  The professionalism and passion that Randy and his team displayed during negotiations only strengthened my resolve to partner with them and become part of their family.  Unquestionably, the team I have put in place is poised to rapidly build the Twin Peaks brand in the southeast and make Randy proud of what he has created and cultivated."

It appears to be quite a coup for Addison-based Twin Peaks, who hired the former-former Hooters CEO as their COO three months ago.

The Hooters pilfering doesn't stop there.  Brooks is joined in the franchise group by several former Hooters executives, who all left last month, including:

 Joe Hummel, former Executive Vice President of Operations and Purchasing for HOA;
 Roger Gondek, former Vice President of Company Store Operations for HOA;
 Clay Mingus, former Vice President and General Counsel for HOA;
 Jim Tessmer, former Vice President and Controller for HOA;

Last in the group, but certainly not least isPatti Frederick. Frederick served 17 years as Business Administrator to Bob Brooks, Coby's father, who owned Hooters from 1984 until his death in 2006.  Frederick was also with the Brooks estate for the past five years.

The franchise group will open restaurants in Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee, with the first two scheduled to open within 18 months.  They plan to add 3-4 restaurants each year after that.

For Twin Peaks co-founder and CEO Randy DeWitt, the agreement represents a major milestone in the chain's franchise expansion strategy announced earlier this year.

"To have these proven industry pros recognize the potential of Twin Peaks and want to be a part of that growth speaks volumes about the foundation we have put in place," said DeWitt. "There is no doubt that this will have a major impact on our expansion plans."

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