WILBRAHAM, MASS.; December 17, 2010 - Friendly Ice Cream Corporation announced today that
James M. Parrish, a seasoned restaurant executive who most recently served as COO of Church's Chicken, has joined the company as executive vice president company operations.
Since 2005, Parrish led the operations of Atlanta-based Church's Chicken 281 stores with a focus on elevating brand standards, staff retention and training and customer satisfaction. Prior to this, he had a 28-year career with Yum! Brands Inc., where he worked for the company's Pizza Hut brand. Starting with Pizza Hut as a restaurant manager, Parrish was elevated to area manager then regional manager, where he oversaw the operations of up to 140 restaurants, winning several company awards in recognition of his achievements. In 1998, he was named senior director of product commercialization, where he focused on product development, testing and research, and product introductions. Parrish was then named division vice president of field operations, leading 600+ restaurants in the East.
"I have worked closely with Jim for years and I am proud to have him by my side as we continue to revitalize and grow the Friendly’s brand," said Friendly's Chairman and CEO Harsha V. Agadi. "Jim's track record of creating and implementing brand standards that are focused on customer satisfaction, employee performance and the store experience will be critical to fulfilling our vision for the brand."
Parrish studied architecture at Texas Tech University and holds a certification in Finance from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. Parrish and his family will relocate to Wilbraham, Mass.
About Friendly Ice Cream Corporation
Friendly Ice Cream Corporation is a vertically integrated restaurant company serving signature sandwiches, entrees and ice cream desserts in a friendly, family environment with system-wide sales of $700 million and distribution through more than 4,000 retail locations. With a 75-year operating history, Friendly's enjoys strong brand recognition and is currently revitalizing its restaurants and introducing new products to grow its customer base. For additional information please visit www.friendlys.com.
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