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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MARCHIOLI NAMED PRESIDENT & CEO OF ADVANTICA
AND DENNY'S; ADAMSON TO CONTINUE AS CHAIRMAN
SPARTANBURG, S.C., Jan. 4, 2001 -- Advantica Restaurant Group, Inc.
(Nasdaq: DINE) announced today that its board of directors has named Nelson J.
Marchioli, recently president of El Pollo Loco, as president and chief executive
officer of Advantica and its core brand, Denny's. Marchioli assumes his new
position in February.
Marchioli joined El Pollo Loco in 1997 as president of the quick-service
restaurant chain specializing in flame-broiled chicken, when the brand was owned
by Advantica. In December 1999, Advantica sold El Pollo Loco to focus on its
family dining operations. Under Marchioli's leadership, El Pollo Loco has
achieved continuous positive growth trends with record same-store sales
increases at both company and franchise locations and record systemwide sales
and profitability.
"Nelson is a successful, strategic brand leader that gets impressive
results," said Elizabeth A. Sanders, lead director of Advantica's board of
directors. "He brings to our company strong brand-building expertise, proven
operations ability, and most importantly, energetic, collaborative leadership
that has been effective in inspiring restaurant managers and franchise owners to
deliver a consistently outstanding experience to customers."
Marchioli has a broad range of leadership experience over the past 29 years
at multiple restaurant brands including experience in domestic and international
operations, development, procurement, distribution, quality assurance, design,
construction and engineering.
From 1996 to 1997, Marchioli was executive vice president and chief
operating officer of Bruegger's Bagel Bakeries. During 10 years at Burger King,
he served in various areas of the
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company including senior vice president of international operations and sales
with responsibility for 57 countries, and senior vice president of quality and
cost. From 1972 to 1986, Marchioli held key positions at General Mills
Restaurant Group, now Darden Restaurants, in operations, corporate design,
construction and purchasing for Red Lobster and its parent company.
A native of Florida, Marchioli received a bachelor's degree in
communications from the University of Central Florida in Orlando.
Marchioli, 51, succeeds James B. Adamson, 52, who has been president, CEO
and chairman of Advantica since 1995 and assumed the additional positions of
Denny's president and CEO in February 2000, following announcement of the
company's strategy to focus exclusively on its core Denny's brand and divest its
two regional brands.
Adamson will continue as chairman of the board of directors of Advantica
through his planned retirement at the end of 2001.
Advantica Restaurant Group, Inc. is one of the largest restaurant companies
in the United States, operating over 2,400 moderately-priced restaurants in the
mid-scale dining segment. Advantica's core brand is Denny's, the nation's
largest full-service family dining restaurant, operating over 1,800 company and
franchise restaurants. The company is continuing to market for divestiture FRD
Acquisition Company, the parent company of Coco's and Carrows.
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