Norman E. Brinker
Norman Eugene Brinker was an American restaurateur who was responsible for the creation of new business concepts within the restaurant field, such as the salad bar. He served as president of Jack in the Box, founded Steak and Ale and helped establish Bennigans.
He was born on June 3, 1931. He began his career in the 1960s in Southern California with fast food company Jack in the Box, rising to oversee its expansion into a regional chain in the United States. After leaving the company he founded several chains, including Steak and Ale. With its sale to Pillsbury in 1976, Brinker rose to new heights, eventually becoming president of the companys entire restaurant operations. At the height of his tenure with Pillsbury he was responsible for the creation or oversaw the operations of such restaurants as Bennigans, Burger King and HagenDazs. It was when he left Pillsbury in 1984 to purchase a small gourmet burger shop called Chilis that Brinker saw his greatest business success. The company eventually became one of the largest restaurant holding companies in the world withchains operating 1900 restaurants incountries. Now known as Brinker International, the company currently employs over 100,000 people and has systemwide sales exceeding US4
Source: Wikipedia