News

Former president of Universal Studios now directing Lemonade

October 24, 2016

Lemonade Restaurant Group, a Los Angeles-based brand that serves seasonal California cuisine, has named Larry Kurzweil as its president and CEO, effective Dec. 1,

The co-founders of the brand, Alan Jackson and Ian Olsen, will assume the role of chairman and chief culinary officer and CDO, respectively, according to a company press release.

Kurzweil served as president and COO of Universal Studios Hollywood from 1999 to 2016, overseeing the Theme Park and Studio Tour and adjacent Universal CityWalk, an outdoor entertainment complex with more than 60 restaurants, shops and entertainment venues. Most recently, he led a 5-year, billion-dollar revitalization that transformed over 75 percent of the destination, culminating with the highly anticipated opening of "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter," in April 2016.

Throughout the past decade, Kurzweil has led Universal Studios Hollywood to all-time high operating and financial performance. Prior to Universal, he held a variety of key executive marketing and management positions at Darden Restaurants, Nestle Foods, and General Mills.

"We are thrilled to have Larry join Lemonade as president and CEO and believe it is the next step in growing Lemonade as a national brand," Jackson said. "We selected Larry for his innate ability to shepherd strong brands to the next level of success and believe that his seasoned experience as a key executive leading best-in-category consumer-retail brands is an incredible and unique asset that will be instrumental in Lemonade's continued growth.

"Larry's addition to Lemonade will allow the co-founders to focus on the areas of Lemonade we're most passionate about: food, culture and guest experience.”

Kurzweil said he's excited about running Lemonade.

"Alan Jackson and his team have done an outstanding job creating and expanding Lemonade as an iconic and culturally transformative dining experience," he said. "I admire Lemonade's vision for the future of this business and am excited to be a part of its growth as it continues to evolve."