News

Souper Salad names Ward Olgreen president and CEO

July 12, 2010

Souper Salad Inc., parent company of Souper Salad and Grandy's restaurants, has named Ward Olgreen as its new president and CEO. The appointment of Olgreen follows the retirement of former CEO Tim Taft.

"Tim successfully led the company during a difficult time in the restaurant industry, as evidenced by improvements in our sales and guest traffic in May of this year," said Tom Taylor, chairman of Souper Salad. "First and foremost, he developed a strong management team that remains intact, providing a complete and orderly transition of leadership. Ward brings a unique blend of experience, particularly in the areas of operations and franchise development, as we continue an aggressive path toward franchising both Souper Salad and Grandy's."

Olgreen has more than 30 years of experience in the restaurant industry and joined Souper Salad as its chief operating officer in 2008. Prior to that, he spent 17 years with Dallas-based Pizza Inn in a variety of leadership positions, including senior vice president of Worldwide Franchising and VP of Operations.

"With our financial partners, suppliers, and support center team, we will continue to accomplish our goals through a shared mission to work smart, stay relevant, and never forget that this is all about delivering a quality product to our loyal customers," Olgreen said.

Dallas-based Souper Salad, Inc. is owned by an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners.