The National Restaurant Association has named Desmond Hague to its board of directors.
Hague, president and CEO of Centerplate, a hospitality partner to North America's premier sports, convention and entertainment venues, will serve on two sub-committees for the association: the Sustainability and Social Responsibility Committee and the Restaurant Advocacy Fund Committee.
The two positions leverage Hague's commitment and passion for environmental sustainability, community building and outreach to underserved populations, and advancement of the restaurant industry.
"Des brings a vision, energy and depth of experience that will greatly benefit the association and the industry," said Dawn Sweeney, NRA president and CEO. "His demonstrated creativity, ability to expand to new markets even in challenging economies, and range of leadership will be immensely valuable in his new role."
Hague has built a lifelong career in the food industry. As CEO of Centerplate, he was responsible for adding John Harvard's Brew Pub to the company's restaurant portfolio in 2010.
The company also served as hospitality provider to the San Francisco Giants' World Series stretch, called the "greenest series in history." Prior to assuming command of Centerplate in 2009, Hague served as president of IHOP Restaurants, a division of DineEquity Inc., the largest full-service family restaurant company in the world.
Hague's additional credentials include president of the Foodservice Division for Safeway Inc., a nationwide grocer with 1,775 store locations across the United States and Canada; chief executive officer of Hot Stuff Foods, a leading provider of turnkey food service solutions to convenience stores; and senior management positions within 7-Eleven, Pizza Hut and Whitbread PLC.
Under Hague's leadership, Centerplate provided hospitality to fans at the Winter Olympics, and added several new foodservice client-partners, including the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta, the Cobo Center in Detroit, and the Baltimore Convention Center.
