Kevin Hochman
CEO and President, Brinker International, Inc.
Kevin Hochman has served as CEO and President of Brinker International, Inc., since 2022. Brinker International is one of the world’s leading casual dining companies and home of Chili’s® Grill & Bar, and Maggiano’s Little Italy®. Brinker owned restaurants serve about 800,000 guests daily, powered by a workforce of 70,000+ dedicated team members.
Under Hochman's leadership, the company’s market capitalization has increased from $1.3 billion to over $7 billion dollars. Hochman was recently named Restaurant Business Restaurant Leader of the Year for the Chili’s Grill & Bar turnaround.
Hochman has three decades of experience working in leading global companies. Prior to joining Brinker, he held multiple leadership positions at Yum! Brands from 2014 to 2022. Before joining the restaurant industry, Hochman spent 18 years at the Procter & Gamble Company leading top consumer brands in multiple categories.
NOMINATED BY | 
IN HIS OWN WORDS
How did you get your start in the foodservice industry?
I had worked with Brian Niccol at Procter & Gamble, and he introduced me to Greg Creed & David Novak when he was at Yum Brands. All three of these restaurant legends have been great coaches & mentors to me in the industry. I would not be in the position I am in today, as well as in the industry I love, without these three leaders.
And then I’ve met other great leaders who have helped me build my skills like Mike Kulp (CEO of KBP Investments, a large franchisee of KFC, Taco Bell and other concepts) and Dave Goebel (retired CEO of Applebee’s 2001-2008), to whom I also owe much of my personal success.
What advice do you have for someone new to the foodservice industry?
The foodservice industry is simple but simple is hard. At the end of the day, if you serve craveable food, with friendly service in a clean, inviting atmosphere, you will win. It sounds easy, but it’s not. Sometimes there are some outside challenges to doing this but more often than not, we make it more complex than it needs to be. Whether you work in a restaurant, you‘re an above restaurant leader, or work at a home office, stay focused on the fundamentals, be honest about the progress on them so you can get better, and you and your team will win.
What does being a Silver Plate recipient mean to you?
Personally, I don’t love individual recognition, so I need to remind myself this is really recognition for the team that has turned Chili’s around and I’m a part of that team. And when I think about the team being recognized for all the hard work and leadership they’ve put into making Chili’s a leader in the industry again, I get pretty excited! What an honor!
What trends do you see shaping the future of foodservice?
With the ups & downs of the economy the last few years, I think there will be a return to the fundamentals and making sure you are doing them really well.
With every trend there’s always a counter trend and the counter trend to all this technological innovation in the industry will be a return to the fundamentals of foodservice. The technological lens will shift from “replacing tasks” to “how might technology allow our teams to perform the fundamentals even better,” which will then bring those two counter trends together.
For example, in casual dining, I see technology allowing guests to pay at the table to continue to accelerate because it helps the service model - when guests finish their meal and they are ready to pay, they want to leave fast. But I don’t see leveraging technology for guests to make their own orders in a sit-down restaurant because a part of the experience is interacting with a friendly server. Have you ever ordered off your phone at a sit-down airport restaurant? It’s not a lot of fun!
If you could have dinner with any chef, past or present, who would it be and why?
Thomas Keller – he seems like the ultimate servant leader. I would love to learn from him how he applies that to everything he does.
KEVIN'S MENTOR
Dave Goebel
Chairman, Jack in the Box
Board Member, Wing Stop and Murphy Oil
Former CEO, Applebee’s (2001-2008)
Partner at The Exco Group
Dave Goebel is an accomplished Fortune 250 CEO, board director, and entrepreneur. He has more than 35 years of leadership experience orchestrating successful growth strategies with fast-paced organizations. At The ExCo Group, he has mentored CEOs and emerging C-suite executives in the technology, banking, financial services, private equity, healthcare, hospitality/ food service, insurance and pharmaceutical industries.
Prior to joining The ExCo Group, Goebel held senior executive positions at Applebee’s, including serving as president and CEO, during which time the $4.5B company operated 2,000 restaurants in the U.S. and internationally.