Name: Kep Sweeney 

New title: Chief executive officer, PDQ

Previous title: President, PDQ

Sweeney takes over from PDQ co-founder Nick Reader. Sweeney retains the role of company president, which he has held since the summer of 2020, according to his LinkedIn profile. He brings roughly a decade of restaurant industry leadership experience to the 62-unit chicken chain, which has a store footprint that spans Florida, New Jersey, New York and the Carolinas. 

“We are excited about our future with Kep at the helm and for all the things we can accomplish these next few years,” Reader said in a statement emailed to Restaurant Dive. “We’ve grown; we’ve fought a pandemic; we maneuvered through poultry inflation; and we’ve built a great company with a tremendous future.”

In addition to corporate roles in the restaurant industry, Sweeney also has worked as chef de cuisine at 21 Federal, and as an executive chef at 21 Federal Nantucket. He has two decades of financial experience coming from his role as president at Acceleron, which specializes in restructuring and turnaround services. 

What’s on Sweeney’s plate: PDQ recently made investments to bring its “off-premise business to the next level,” Ken Bott, head of digital for PDQ, said in an April press release. 

That same month, the chain partnered with location technology platform Flybuy to integrate with its in-store and curbside pickup channel. This geofencing technology, similar to what is offered by McDonald’s and Chick-fil-A, allows PDQ employees to view the real-time ETA, journey and arrival of diners and delivery drivers. 

PDQ faces off-premise competition in the chicken category as diner demand for chicken sandwiches grows. Zaxby’s, which is pursuing a national expansion, launched its first franchised-owned, to-go-only restaurant in June. Chick-fil-A is also testing a walk-up prototype and an elevated drive-thru restaurant design — which has four lanes that can hold up to 75 cars.