DALLAS – Brinker International announced on May 16 that Wyman Roberts will retire as chief executive officer and president of the company. This includes leaving his position as president of Chili’s Grill & Bar and member of the board of directors starting on June 5.

Kevin Hochman was appointed president and chief executive officer of Brinker along with the other posts held by Roberts.

Roberts served as CEO and president at the company since 2013. Before that he held various roles with Brinker starting in 2005 including chief marketing officer of Brinker and president of Maggiano’s Little Italy. He will continue to serve the company in an advisory role for 12 months as part of the company's succession plan.

"Since starting with Brinker 17 years ago, I have been inspired by the passion for making guests feel special about what our ChiliHeads, Maggiano's Teammates and BrinkerHeads bring to our restaurants every single day," Roberts said. "It has been a privilege to lead and be a part of this great company. I am impressed with Kevin's character and leadership skills, and I look forward to seeing him take our company to the next level of success as we make this transition."

Prior to joining Brinker, Hochman worked as the president and chief concept officer for KFC US. From December 2019 until January 2022, he also worked as president of Pizza Hut US at the same time. Before working at Pizza Hut and KFC, Hochman spent 18 years at various brand management and marketing roles at Procter & Gamble. 

"I am honored to be appointed Brinker's president and CEO and appreciate the support of Wyman and the Board," Hochman said. "I've been very impressed with our operations and technology and see huge potential for growing our iconic Chili's and Maggiano's brands. Brinker's mission is about making people feel special, and that's something I've tried to do throughout my career.”

Brinker owns, operates or franchises more than 1,600 restaurants in 29 countries and two US territories.