Warren Ellish has helped position hundreds of brands, was a founding partner for Boston Market and founded his own marketing consulting company.
Philip Friedman serves as Chairman and CEO of Salsarita’s Fresh Cantina and as President of P. Friedman & Associates, Inc., a strategic planning and management consulting company.
Buffets, Inc., owns Ryan’s Restaurants, with one located in Greer at 1501 W. Poinsett Street.
“These are true leaders with proven track records of success,” said Rob Webster, Chairman of the Board of Buffets, Inc. “Both Warren and Phil have the practical knowledge of what it takes to turn around and grow a brand, and they understand the need for strong corporate governance. We are pleased to add them to our board of directors, and are excited for the future of our organization with their support and expertise.”
Friedman serves as Chairman and CEO of Salsarita’s Fresh Cantina, an 85-location casual Mexican restaurant chain he acquired in 2011, and as President of P. Friedman & Associates, Inc., a strategic planning and management consulting company he founded in 1986.
Friedman previously served as Chairman, CEO and President of McAlister’s Corporation. During his tenure, McAlister’s grew from 27 to 300 restaurants in 22 states. In 2005, Friedman led the sale of McAlister’s Corporation to Roark Capital Group.
Ellish has been responsible for positioning hundreds of brands and has a track record of delivering outsized returns in competitive industries. In 1995, Ellish founded his own marketing consulting company, Ellish Marketing Group LLC. He was a founding partner for Boston Chicken, Inc. (Boston Market).
Friedman and Ellish will serve alongside board members, Chairman Rob Webster, CEO Anthony Wedo, David Merritt, Todd Brown and Santino Blumetti.