Meet the Team – Backup - Bobby's Burgers

Our Founders

CHEF BOBBY FLAY

Chef Bobby Flay craves one thing when he’s done working in the kitchens of his fine-dining restaurants — A BURGER! Bobby’s Burgers is everything you would expect from a Bobby Flay dining experience at a price everyone can love.

In his Food Network Show, Food Nation™, Bobby Flay traveled across the U.S. sampling foods of many cultures. Today, he combines his favorite tastes and love of the grill into one of the most unique American menus available. Bobby’s Burgers offers 5-star, made-to-order deliciousness he discovered along his legendary career.

Did you know Bobby was the first chef to be awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? He is also the author of 16 cookbooks and has amassed five daytime Emmy Awards. A proven success in the kitchen and a formidable restauranter who curates memorable dining experiences for guests worldwide.

Laurence Kretchmer

Co-Owner & Managing Partner

Behind the scenes at Chef Bobby Flay’s restaurants is the reserved yet forceful presence of Laurence Kretchmer, co-owner, and managing partner.

The two first collaborated when they swung open the doors of Mesa Grill in New York in 1991. Since then, the creative pair have opened multiple other restaurant locations in the U.S. and internationally. Kretchmer oversees all operational, financial, and business matters as well as new business development for Bobby and Laurence’s restaurants. Kretchmer’s business and management acumen and extensive restaurant development and operations experience symbiotically work with Flay’s talents for creating ever–evolving and irresistible menus. The two enjoy a close friendship and a complementary professional alliance. Yet at the heart of it, Kretchmer puts it best, “We‘re both hard–core New Yorkers.” The pair thrives on the energy of dining out and works tirelessly to infuse their own restaurants with this vitality and excitement.

Our Team

Michael Mcgill

president

Michael provides over 30 years of senior level leadership experience in the restaurant industry.

His career began when he held executive and management positions with Cold Stone Creamery, NASCAR, Planet Hollywood and T.G.I. Fridays. He became President of International for Kahala Brands, a global quick-service restaurant franchisor of 18 brands that included, Cold Stone Creamery, Blimpie, Taco Time and Great Steak. Recently he was based in Jakarta for PT Mitra Adiperkasa, the food and beverage division of the MAP Group, the leading lifestyle retailer in Indonesia.It houses iconic brands including Starbucks, Pizza Express, Genki Sushi, Krispy Kreme, Cold Stone Creamery, PAUL Bakery, and Godiva.

FAVORITE BUGER:
Nacho Burger

PATRIC KNAPP

Vice President of Operations

A proven operational leader with more than 20 years of experience providing senior-level leadership within the Fast Casual, Casual, and Quick Service Restaurant industries.

Extensive experience overseeing real estate site selections for brands, managing the franchising process, growing unit counts, improving average unit volume, and driving positive comparable sales. Supporting franchise operators in notable consumer brands including Hissho Sushi, Cold Stone Creamery, Blimpie Subs, and more. An extensive background in non-traditional development and initiating strategic alliances resulting in successful co-branding initiatives.

FAVORITE BURGER:
Crunchburger®, add Pickles & Jalapeños

ANNE PRITZ

Chief Marketing Officer

Anne is innovative and hands-on executive leader with 20+ years of brand marketing experience in publicly and privately held companies, as well as private equity backed organizations.

Anne is a franchisee and operations focused marketer who held leadership and executive-level positions with Tim Hortons USA, Sbarro International, and Royal Cup Coffee & Tea. She has proven success in driving these notable brands through brand re-positioning and executing successful adoption of these efforts. Anne is well-versed in developing corporate strategy, mapping the route of implementation, and full execution of those strategic plans. You will witness Anne successfully leading the development and implementation of marketing programs designed to drive brand awareness, sales growth, product innovation, and profit.

FAVORITE BURGER:
Palace Classic Burger

Christopher Fogarty

Chief Information Officer

As Chief Information Officer, Chris has 30+ years of focused experience in systems engineering and digital transformation,

Chris enables seamless operations and sales processes, driving multi-million-dollar revenue growth and technological advancement for organizations. Chris has designed digital transformation strategies for numerous customers. As a founding partner for the startup company Versiant, Chris led defining a profitable IT strategy and developed a multi-tiered IT operational staff, resulting in expanding the business to $22M in annual revenue with a revenue growth of $1.3M YOY and helped drive this company towards a sale. Chris has directed large teams of Operations Engineers to build out and architect support services through key operational technologies and tools to ensure customer retention and satisfaction.

FAVORITE BURGER:
Bacon Crunchburger®

KEVIN MATIAS

Director of Ops Services & Training

A restaurant industry professional since 2007, serving in global Operations Support and Training roles at Krispy Kreme, until joining the Bobby’s Burgers team in 2021.

Kevin has a passion for serving and supporting restaurant operations, providing best-in-class tools and training, to make our franchisees successful. After starting as a unit manager at Krispy Kreme in 2007, he shifted to a corporate training department role where he created and led global training initiatives from 2008-2011 before transitioning into an International Operations support role in 2012 through 2018, supporting 30+ countries with a variety of Ops support projects, tools, systems, etc. In 2018, Kevin transitioned to the US-led Operations Support team, leading a Global Operations Center of Excellence effort.

FAVORITE BURGER:
BBQ Smokehouse Burger

OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dan Beem

Chairman of the Board

Entering his role at Bobby’s Burgers, Beem brings 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, with a history of success in expanding multiple concepts internationally.

Known for his dedication, Beem is recognized for his leadership and achievements, recently earning the title of one of the “Most Admired CEO’s” in the restaurant business. Currently Beem is the CEO of Hissho Sushi, the second-largest sushi concept in North America, overseeing the brand’s massive growth to over 2,400 locations. Previously, Beem held C-Level positions with iconic brands like Krispy Kreme, Cold Stone Creamery and Kahala Brands.

Jeff Vinik

Investor & Advisor

Owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Tampa Bay Sports and Entertainment, LLC, Jeff Vinik brings to Bobby’s Burgers his knowledge and expertise in operating successful businesses and managing an illustrious portfolio.

Bill Allen

Investor & Board Member

Previously working in several C-Suite roles, Bill Allen has an extensive background in brand creation and expansion. Most recently, Allen was the CEO of Bloomin’ Brands, overseeing the company’s shift to going private. He also co-founded Flemings, and served as President and CEO of La Madeline French Bakery and Café.

Bill Pellicano

INVESTOR & BOARD MEMBER

Co-founder and Executive Board Chair of PrimePay, Bill Pellicano is a 41-year veteran of the payroll and HR industry. Having an extensive background working with restaurant franchises, Pellicano led PrimePay’s development of a franchise ecosystem model that was utilized by hundreds of franchising brands.

Arlington Capital

INVESTOR & ADVISOR

The principals of Arlington Capital Advisors are former owners and operators of brands, with an extensive understanding of creating positive outcomes that increase business success.

The firm provides both financial and strategic advisory services to consumer brands, with an impressive background of successful mergers, acquisitions, recapitalizations, capital raises and strategic alternatives.