Denny's Corporation announced promotions for key leaders, including Chris Bode to the position of chief operating officer, John Dillon to the position of chief marketing officer, and Jill Van Pelt to the newly created position of chief people officer.
"Chris, John, and Jill have all contributed to Denny's success in a meaningful way, further revitalizing America's Diner by leading key initiatives in our plan to drive improvements across our food, service, and atmosphere," says John Miller, president and CEO of Denny's. "We look forward to leveraging their leadership and respective expertise to strengthen the Denny's brand and foster future growth of our leading family-dining chain."
Chris Bode has been promoted to senior vice president, chief operating officer, where he will have an expanded focus on directing all of Denny's company and franchise operations and operations services, among other responsibilities.
Bode previously served as Denny's senior vice president, operations since January 2013, and throughout that time his strong operations background and leadership has guided Denny's to achieve progress in guest satisfaction, restaurant reviews, the foundation for margin improvements, and overall strengthening of operations capabilities for both franchisee and company operators.
John Dillon has been promoted to senior vice president, chief marketing officer, where he will take on an expanded marketing leadership role to continue executing on Denny's marketing and branding efforts to drive sales, profitability, and value across the brand.
Dillon has been with the company since 2007 and previously served as vice president of marketing, helping to lead strategic marketing efforts including the creation of Denny's $2-$4-$6-$8 Value Menu and development of its current positioning as America's Diner, as well as improvements in calendar, menu, and brand communications that have contributed to the brand's ongoing revitalization.
Jill Van Pelt has been promoted to senior vice president, chief people officer. In this newly created role, she will continue to oversee all human resources functions, along with a role in internal communications and crisis management.
Van Pelt has been with the company since 2006 and previously served as vice president of human resources for the company, where she has been instrumental in evolving human resources into a critical leadership role within the company.
