SPB Hospitality removed the interim tag and made the appointment of Josh Kern as its chief executive officer permanent.

Josh KernIn August of 2022, Kern was named interim CEO of SPB, which is a multiconcept operator and franchisor of restaurants spanning a national footprint.

Kern joined SPB Hospitality in 2018 as chief marketing officer before taking on the president of concepts role, overseeing marketing, culinary, beverage, supply chain and information technology. Kern’s other restaurant experience includes serving as chief marketing officer for Cerca Trova Restaurant Concepts, a large Outback Franchise system; chief marketing officer for Smashburger and vice president of marketing for Quiznos.

During his tenure with SPB Kern “steered the company’s merger with Krystal,” per a company release.

“By fostering an environment that encourages collaboration and open communication, we can leverage the collective expertise and diverse perspectives within our organization to achieve extraordinary results,” Kern said in an open letter to employees and franchisees.