Thomas A. Sacco, Homestyle Dining LLC

Homestyle Dining LLC, which operates and franchises the Ponderosa Steakhouse and Bonanza Steakhouse restaurant brands, has promoted Thomas A. Sacco to the role of COO and executive vice president.

Sacco has previously held various senior-level positions with such chains as BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse, Fox Sports Grill, and Wyatt’s Cafeterias.

Additionally, Sacco is very familiar with the steakhouse and buffet segment of the restaurant industry having served as senior vice president of operations and franchise support for Bonanza Steakhouse and as vice president of operations and franchise support at Western Sizzlin Steakhouse.

“We are very excited to add someone of Tom’s caliber and background on our team,” says Tamara S. Jones, president and CEO of Homestyle Dining.

“His personal connection to our brand combined with his vision and passion for building our team will be a great contribution to our future success," she adds.

Sacco says: “I am thrilled to be rejoining the team. I look forward to rekindling relationships with our dedicated franchisees and establishing new ones with our company team so we can build on our tradition of delivering an excellent dining experience at a great value to our guests.”

There are over 200 Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouses currently operating in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Asia, and the Middle East.

Stephanie Ehrler, Sage Restaurant Group

Sage Restaurant Group(SRG), the Denver-based independent restaurant group dedicated to creating experiences where food, drink and inspired design meet and mix, today announced the internal promotion of Stephanie Ehrler to the role of vice president of marketing and brand integrity.

Joining Sage Restaurant Group in 2007 as the sales and marketing director for the company’s Chicago-based Mercat a la Planxa restaurant, Stephanie brings more than eight years of hospitality industry experience to her newly appointed role.

In 2010, Stephanie re-located to Denver, advancing to the SRG corporate team as the company’s corporate director of marketing. There, Stephanie defined and directed the growing company’s strategic marketing initiatives on the brand and property levels, utilizing connections between marketing services and social media trends to effectively drive success and business growth. 

As the vice president of marketing and brand integrity, Stephanie will develop and oversee the Sage Restaurant Group marketing vision for the company’s ten distinct restaurant brands: The Corner Office Restaurant + Martini Bar and Second Home Kitchen + Bar, in Denver; Kachina, Southwestern Grill in Westminster, Colorado; Temple Downtown in Providence, Rhode Island; the acclaimed Mercat a la Planxa in Chicago; Braddock’s in Pittsburgh; Toasted Oak Grill & Market in Novi, Michigan; and Urban Farmer Steakhouse, the Original Dinerant and Departure in Portland, Oregon.

In this position, key responsibilities will include leading the strategic planning, development, and coordination of business initiatives in order to drive the success of SRG’s direct marketing and brand integrity efforts; ensuring the integrity of all brand touch points; and supervision of property-level marketing leaders.

“We are honored to introduce longstanding Sage Restaurant Group team member Stephanie Ehrler as our new vice president of marketing and brand integrity,” says Peter Karpinski, co-founder and COO of Sage Restaurant Group.

“Stephanie has consistently shown her strong commitment to exceed expectations and is the driving force behind our innovative approach to brand development and enhancement of customer experience. Her continued success in fostering creative and effective solutions and her forward-thinking attitude are sure to lend valuable insight to Sage Restaurant Group’s future at all levels.”

A graduate of Kendall College with a focus in hotel management and convention and meeting planning, Ehrler held several other hospitality roles before joining SRG in 2007, including director of sales and marketing at Chicago’s Green Dolphin Street restaurant and as an independent meeting planner in the Chicago market.