Doug Wong has joined Denny's as Director of Franchise Development and Jeffrey C. Russell has signed on as Director of Franchise Real Estate. Both men boast impressive backgrounds in the restaurant, hospitality and real estate industries with more than 40 years experience between them. They join Steve Dunn, Denny's Vice President of Franchise Development, in a restructured corporate department focusing on franchise development.

"With the addition of these talented development professionals, Denny's is demonstrating our commitment to our franchising outreach efforts," said Dunn. "Our financial and operational performance is the strongest it's been in several years, and now with Doug and Jeff joining our team, Denny's now has the infrastructure in place to strategically and aggressively pursue our franchise development goals."

In their new roles at Denny's, Russell and Wong will have key responsibilities. Russell will focus on real estate, with an emphasis on strategic development and identifying new franchise locations throughout the western United States; while Wong's responsibilities will center primarily on recruiting new operators.

"Working with Denny's is a great opportunity for me both personally and professionally," said Russell. "The enthusiasm that the company brings to franchise development and the support that is being put forward is phenomenal. I'm thrilled to be a part of it."

Wong echoed his colleague's sentiments. "This is an exciting time to be working with Denny's," said Wong. "The brand is strong, the company is number one in family dining, and management's dedication to building the future through franchising is genuine."

Russell is a 19-year veteran in the real estate profession. Prior to joining Denny's, he held real estate and development positions with Burger King Corporation over a 10-year period. His experience also includes nine years as a commercial real estate agent and he maintains a real estate license in California. He received a Bachelors of Business Administration degree in Marketing and Finance from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

Wong's experience includes restaurant operations and franchising. His most recent experience was as Vice President of Operations for CVM Atlanta LLC, a restaurant operations company with 13 Shoney's in the Atlanta area. He has also worked in development for such well-known restaurant brands as Cinnabon, Church's Chicken, Arby's, Sbarro and Pizza Hut. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel Restaurant Administration from the University of New Hampshire in Durham.

Denny's is America's largest full-service family restaurant chain, consisting of 549 company-owned units and 1,036 franchised and licensed units, with operations in the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, Guam, Mexico, New Zealand and Puerto Rico. The company's stock is traded under "DENN" and additional information is available on Denny's website.

Source: Denny's