News Briefs

Yum! Brands, Inc. announced that David Gibbs, Chief Executive Officer, has informed the Board of Directors of his intention to retire from the Company in the next year.

The Board has established a succession planning committee and will work deliberately to identify and appoint the best candidate to lead the company’s next chapter. Gibbs will continue leading the company throughout the search process until his retirement, expected in the first quarter of 2026.

“During my time as CEO and throughout my 36 years with Yum! Brands, it has been an honor to work alongside this incredibly talented team and our dedicated franchisees to build the most loved, trusted, and connected restaurant brands around the world,” said Gibbs. “I set out to strengthen and broaden the appeal of our iconic brands, build industry-leading digital capabilities, dramatically accelerate the pace of profitable new unit development, and amplify our people-first culture. I am pleased with the progress we have made on all fronts and know that Yum! Brands is now stronger and more resilient than ever. I look forward to supporting the next CEO candidate and ensuring the company is set up for continued success. In the meantime, my focus remains on executing our strategy and delivering against our growth commitments.”

Gibbs has served as Yum! Brands’ CEO since January 2020. As CEO, Gibbs focused on leading the company’s digital transformation, building the Company’s development engine and delivering strong shareholder returns powered by a people-first culture of collaboration. Simultaneously, Gibbs also successfully navigated the Company through the COVID-19 pandemic and an increasingly complex operating environment, making the Company a top performer in the restaurant industry. During Gibbs’ tenure, digital sales surpassed $30 billion in 2024 with over 50% of sales through digital channels and the pace of annual net new unit development tripled, leading to more than 61,000 restaurant units worldwide.

“Along with the entire Board of Directors, I commend David for his dedication to Yum! Brands and applaud his transformative impact on the company – not just in his time as CEO, but throughout the entirety of his nearly four-decade career with Yum! Brands,” said Brian Cornell, Non-Executive Chairman of the Yum! Brands Board of Directors and Chairman and CEO of Target Corporation. “The Board is committed to overseeing a thorough succession planning process and appreciates David’s continued leadership of the business as well as the ample timeline provided to ensure a seamless leadership transition.”

Maestro PMS announced that Warren Dehan will step down as President and transition to an advisory role effective immediately. While stepping back from daily operations, Dehan will continue to provide strategic product guidance and industry expertise, ensuring Maestro’s ongoing success. 

To ensure a seamless transition, Tim Major, vertical President of PMS for Fullsteam and a senior leader in hospitality, will take on an expanded role, ensuring continuity for Maestro and driving its strategic vision forward.  With 15 years of experience leading PMS companies, Major brings deep industry knowledge and a strong commitment to innovation. Fullsteam, which acquired Maestro in 2023, is a leader in integrated payments and software solutions and has been instrumental in supporting Maestro’s continued growth. With Fullsteam’s resources, strategic guidance, and commitment to innovation, Maestro remains well positioned for the future. 

“I am honored to step into this role and continue building on the strong foundation that Warren has established,” Major said. “With his continued guidance, Fullsteam’s support, and Maestro’s talented team, we remain committed to delivering the innovative solutions and exceptional service our clients rely on.”

Dehan has been a driving force behind Maestro’s success, dedicating more than four decades to shaping the company into a trusted leader in hospitality technology. Under his leadership, Maestro has continually evolved, helping independent hoteliers optimize operations with innovative, integrated solutions. 

“As I step into this new advisory role, I do so with immense pride in what we have built together,” Dehan said. “Maestro is in great hands with Tim at the helm as he comes from PMS and can align the product and mission backed by Fullsteam. I look forward to supporting the company in an advisory capacity and watching its continued success.”

With a capable leadership team in place and Fullsteam’s ongoing support, Maestro remains committed to empowering hoteliers with cutting-edge technology and exceptional service. Customers, partners, and employees can expect a seamless transition and a continued focus on innovation. 

Uber and OpenTable have formed a new strategic partnership to provide seamless dining experiences for millions of highly engaged consumers around the world. The first-of-its-kind collaboration will pair Uber’s ride-hailing and delivery services with OpenTable’s expansive restaurant network across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Mexico, Australia and Ireland.

In the months ahead, the companies will develop integrations of the Uber Eats, Uber, and OpenTable apps to offer dining reservation access and seamless transportation options, membership benefits, and more. And for the more than 1 million restaurants worldwide that partner with the companies, the collaboration between two trusted platforms brings additional opportunities to drive revenue, engage existing diners—and reach new ones.

“We’re always looking for ways to help people go out and get the best of their cities," said Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber. “As a first step, our partnership with OpenTable will make it easier than ever to find and book a great restaurant and get there without a hitch. And we’re excited to continue making Uber One even more valuable to our members.”

“Together with Uber, we’re redefining what it means to dine out in a connected world,” said Debby Soo, CEO of OpenTable. "Dining, delivery and transportation are all intimately connected. This partnership strategically positions OpenTable to make those daily experiences as integrated and frictionless as possible for both restaurants and diners."

The partnership is expected to roll out in phases throughout the year, with both companies committed to expanding features and deepening integration over time, all in service of innovating for consumers and restaurants.

REGO RESTAURANT GROUP, a leading fast-casual restaurant platform, has named Neel Patel as Chief Executive Officer to lead Quiznos, the iconic quick-service sandwich chain, and Taco del Mar, a fast-casual restaurant chain specializing in coastal Mexican cuisine.

Previously, Patel served as Senior Vice President, Strategy & Growth at Church’s Texas Chicken, where he played a key role in the brand’s transformation and recent transactional growth, leading commercial strategy, revenue management, and global expansion efforts. He brings a wealth of experience in business transformation, growth strategy, and commercial excellence, positioning him to drive the brands’ continued expansion and innovation.

“Both Quiznos and Taco del Mar are well-positioned for expansion and accelerated growth, and we are confident that Neel is the ideal leader to drive that momentum,” said Coady Smith, a Board Member of REGO Restaurant Group and Principal at High Bluff Capital Partners. “His deep expertise in driving unit-level profitability, optimizing operations, and delivering data-driven business transformations will be instrumental as we continue to expand our brands and deliver exceptional value to our customers and franchisee partners.”

"I'm thrilled to join REGO and lead both Quiznos and Taco Del Mar into their exciting next chapter of growth," said Patel. Both brands possess powerful legacies and immense untapped potential. I'm eager to collaborate closely with our dedicated team and valued franchisees to innovate, grow, and deliver exceptional experiences for our guests and communities globally."

Previous to Church’s, Patel drove growth transformations at McKinsey & Company, advising businesses across industries on enterprise strategy, commercial optimization, data & analytics, and value creation.

• AI Review Sentiment Analysis automatically scans guest reviews to detect patterns, flag recurring complaints, and highlight operational weak spots before they impact ratings. Instead of combing through thousands of reviews, hosts get instant, actionable insights to improve service and protect their reputation.
• Host Quality Dashboard tracks listing performance and guest sentiment across platforms, helping property managers monitor trends, spot red flags, and ensure their portfolio meets platform expectations. Several Hostaway customers are already using this dashboard to create performance-based team incentives, improve service consistency, and drive higher guest satisfaction.

• AI Guest Replies handles up to 80% of routine guest questions, which often make up the majority of daily inquiries. Hostaway’s AI bot reads the entire message thread and suggests smart, on-demand responses inside the Unified Inbox. Hosts can set tone, sign as themselves, and even define how to answer specific FAQs – freeing up time and cutting support costs.
• AI Listing Description Optimization generates high-converting, SEO-friendly property descriptions that increase visibility and booking conversions. With just a few details, AI instantly produces professional, platform-optimized descriptions designed to attract more guests.
• AI Dynamic Pricing uses billions of data points – including demand, seasonality, competitor rates, and gap nights between bookings – to recommend the best possible nightly rates. Hosts using this feature have seen an average 22.3% increase in revenue per listing by filling calendar gaps and pricing dynamically to match market trends.
• AI Task Management goes beyond automation by using intelligent logic to assign tasks in real time, adapting to booking changes, guest preferences, and staff availability to optimize cleaning and maintenance schedules.
• AI Message Automations save property managers an average of 150 hours per month, reducing manual workload and allowing teams to focus on high-impact tasks.
• AI Payments & Protections includes fraud detection and secure payment integrations with Stripe, ChargeAutomation, and other leading providers – helping hosts minimize risk and maximize financial security.

The Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) and Fourth published the results today of a worker hospitality industry case study which focused on the use of earned wage access programs (EWA). The study found that bill paying, food and access to wages were some of the top concerns of the workers.

In the fall 2024, nearly 70 hospitality industry workers were interviewed who used the EWA program, Fuego, during the past 12 months. The survey sought to understand the respondents’ current financial wellbeing, reasons for using an EWA and the impacts of EWA on their financial behavior.

An EWA program offers employees access to their earned pay before the traditional, scheduled payday. With earned wage access, employers can provide greater financial wellness support for their employees which can lead to a happier and more productive workforce.

“At Fourth, we're here to help restaurant owners and their teams thrive. We've always believed that earned wage access is a big lever for restaurant team members to take control of their finances, feel less stress and ultimately make them more engaged at work. I'm excited to see this study validates that,” said Clinton Anderson, CEO, Fourth.

Key findings in the new research report include:

• Paying monthly bills was the most common source of financial stress among study participants (60%), followed by not having enough savings in case of emergency (46%) and job/income security (33%).
• The most common reason cited for access to earned wages was food, reported by 76% of study participants. The second most common use reported by 47% was rent/housing.
• Over half (53%) of study participants indicated they always worry about their daily expenses.
• Approximately 57% stated EWA helped them avoid borrowing money from their friends and family and 40% noted it helped them avoid paying late fees on bills. Nearly 32% reported EWA helped them avoid a bank overdraft.
• The majority (75%) of users accessed earned wages at least on a weekly basis, as 58% indicated they use it several times a week and 17% said they use it once a week.
• Study participants were asked how much of their earned wages they accessed on average. Approximately 41% said they drew $100 or more, 27% said $50 - $99 and another 22% said $25-99.
• When asked whether they would be interested in accessing more of their wages earlier, 39% of participants stated yes. Among those, the reasoning addressed cash shortfalls, the economy and basic needs like housing, food or childcare, among other issues.

“Earned wage access programs have many features that could alleviate immediate financial stress by providing a liquidity buffer between pay periods. At the same time, concerns have been raised over the potential that on-demand access prolongs problems with cash management and, in the direct-to-consumer version, capitalizes on cyclical liquidity crunches through fees. Employer-partnered versions that can waive fees while reducing cash friction particularly when complemented by other financial wellness benefits addressing daily expenses like discounts, have the potential to improve the financial outlook of workers,” said Bridget Bearden, research and development strategist, EBRI.

To view the complete research report, “Employee Views on Earned Wage Access: A Case Study,” visit www.ebri.org/publications/research-publications/issue-briefs/content/employee-views-on-earned-wage-access--a-case-study.

This research study was conducted with the support of Fourth, a provider of Fuego, an EWA and financial wellness solution.