Outback Steakhouse parent Bloomin' Brands has tapped the COO of Delta Air Lines as its next CEO.
Michael Spanos will take the role Sept. 3 after the retirement of Bloomin's current CEO, Dave Deno, the company announced early Monday.
Spanos has been EVP and COO of Delta for just over a year and led global operations and customer experience, overseeing a team of 90,000 employees.
Before that, he was CEO and president of Six Flags theme parks. But the bulk of his career was spent at PepsiCo, where began as a territory sales manager in 1995 and rose to CEO of Asia, Middle East and North Africa in 2017.
At Bloomin', he will be responsible for making improvements at Outback Steakhouse, which has struggled with traffic declines this year and is facing pressure from activist investor Starboard Value.
He is also on the board of directors of convenience-store chain Casey's General Store.
“We have found an ideal strategist, operations and cultural leader in Mike,” said Michael Mohan, chairman of the board for Bloomin’ Brands, in a statement. “Our board believes that his experience operating complex, multi-unit businesses will benefit our iconic, founder-inspired brands. He has a customer-first mindset for leading established organizations through challenging environments. We look forward to his contributions to Bloomin’ Brands.”
“It is a privilege to be part of the Bloomin’ Brands team,” Spanos said in a statement. “We have such a classic set of heritage brands that my family and I have enjoyed over many years. I am excited to work together with our Team Members to deliver an outstanding guest experience. I thank David Deno for his leadership of our people and look forward to a smooth transition.”
Deno will retire after 12 years at Tampa-based Bloomin'. The company also owns Carrabba's Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse.
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