000801 Durango Steak House Appoints President and COO

Clearwater, FL - Durango Steak House announced that Gary P. Bennett has joined the company as President and Chief Operating Officer. In this position he will have responsibility for operations, strategic planning, marketing strategy, human resources, purchasing and concept development.

Bennett joins Durango with 24 years of experience at every level of management within the casual dining sector of the restaurant and hospitality industry. He was most recently COO of Grupo Zena, a Spanish restaurant chain based in Madrid. Prior to that post, he had served at T.G.I. Fridays for eight years, most recently as Vice President of Operations and Franchising, and Vice President of Human Resources Worldwide.

Commenting on the appointment, Bullard Group Marketing Coordinator Paul Bullard said, “The addition of Gary Bennett comes at an auspicious time for Durango. We recently entered the [Restaurants and Institutions] Top 400 and plan more expansion for the coming year. Gary's strong operations orientation should help us position Durango for future growth and profitability.”

Based in Clearwater, FL, the Durango system includes 26 Durango Steak House units in Florida and Georgia. Durango is expanding aggressively into the growing Atlanta restaurant market with plans this year to open units in Sandy Springs, Lawrenceville, Downtown Atlanta and Roswell. The privately held Durango is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Bullard Group, a Tampa Bay-based corporation.

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