Gregory Lippert has been named president and CEO of Willie’s Restaurants, which operates 17 Willie’s Grill & Icehouse locations in the Houston and San Antonio areas and two Fajita Willie’s Café & Cantina units in the Houston area.
Lippert has more than 30 years of experience in foodservice, most recently as CEO of Taco Mac. He also was CEO of Quaker Steak & Lube and Mazzio’s corporation, and previously held marketing positions at Fazoli’s the Seven-Up Company and Procter & Gamble.
“I’m thrilled to join Willie’s Restaurants and I’m eager to work with the entire Willie’s team to grow the business,” Lippert said in a release announcing his appointment. “Willie’s Restaurants is an iconic brand where we will accelerate the growth of both concepts. I look forward to leveraging my experience to expand these restaurants in the state of Texas.”
Both Willie’s concepts are casual-dining chains, with Willie’s Grill modeled on traditional Texas icehouses and Fajita Willie’s focusing on Tex-Mex cuisine.
Private equity firm CIC Partners L.P. is an investor in Willie’s. It also owned Lippert’s previous employer, Taco Mac, but sold it in 2018.
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