Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc., parent company of Checkers & Rally’s drive-thru restaurants, announced that Chris Tebben has been named President and Chief Executive Officer, effective September 4.
Tebben succeeds Frances Allen, who announced in April that she was stepping down as President and CEO of the company in order to focus on board work.
Tebben joins Checkers & Rally’s with a robust career spent in the restaurants and consumer packaged goods sectors, serving in leadership roles with such powerhouse brands as Mars, Starbucks, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, and Pizza Hut, among others. His considerable experience includes leading strategic planning, operations, restaurant development, multi-unit franchise, retail marketing, and category management in both turnaround and growth environments across Fortune 100 and private equity-owned organizations.
“After a thorough search process, we are very pleased to welcome Chris to the Checkers & Rally’s organization. His comprehensive experience in nearly every aspect of restaurant leadership, coupled with his proven track record of delivering sales, traffic, and unit growth, make him a perfect fit to take these brands to the next level,” said David Barr, Checkers & Rally’s Independent Board Member. “On behalf of the entire Checkers & Rally’s family, I would like to thank Frances Allen for her leadership and dedicated service, and we wish her the best on all her future plans.”
Prior to joining Checkers, Mr. Tebben served as President of Mars Retail Group, leading the M&M’s retail arm of high-profile flagship stores across the globe since 2022. Before this, he served in a variety of leadership roles at Starbucks over his eight-year tenure there, most recently leading the expansion of Starbucks Reserve, opening U.S.-based and international locations including the largest Starbucks in the world: Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Chicago.
Mr. Tebben also served as Starbucks Vice President of Retail Strategy, Vice President of Licensed Stores where he led all marketing, digital transformation and product management initiatives in the U.S. and Latin America, as well as Vice President of Starbucks’ multi-billion-dollar Frappuccino and Tea businesses. Earlier in his career, Mr. Tebben held executive positions with P.F. Chang’s as CMO of Pei Wei Asian Diner, and at Yum! Brands as the CMO of Pizza Hut in the UK and Ireland, among other roles.
