GPS Hospitality, one the nation’s largest franchisees of BURGER KING® and Popeyes® Louisiana Kitchen restaurants, today announces the promotion of Mike Kovac to Senior Vice President of Operations, a position that entails overseeing thousands of employees and millions in sales on an annual basis. Previously, Kovac held the position of Vice President of Operations, where he achieved consecutive yearly sales increases.
“Mike has proven himself to be an integral part of GPS Hospitality’s growth strategy,” said Michael Lippert, Chief Operations Officer for GPS Hospitality. “I have worked with Mike for many years, and I know him to be a highly motivated professional and an invaluable asset. He knows how to achieve bottom line results, and just as importantly, how to foster future leaders of our company.”
An executive at GPS Hospitality since 2014, Kovac has been instrumental in the company’s rapid growth including new unit openings, remodels and acquisitions. Kovac will continue to provide leadership for the operations teams in more than 200 BURGER KING and Popeyes restaurants in the East, including in Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
“Mike is an energetic, hands-on leader who has an excellent rapport with our team members and plays a vital role in day-to-day operations,” said GPS Hospitality CEO Tom Garrett. “I firmly believe his deep knowledge of GPS Hospitality and the Quick Service Restaurant industry will help us achieve our future growth plans.”
A Quick Service Restaurant industry veteran with 34 years of experience, Kovac got his start as an Assistant Manager at Arby’s. He worked his way up through the ranks of RTM Restaurant Group, Arby’s largest franchisee, and went on to become Vice President of Operations of Wendy’s/Arby’s Restaurant Group. Kovac also achieved great successes with Mrs. Winner’s and Church’s Chicken.
“I’m proud to be part of the GPS team. Our shared values and focus on serving our guests continues to drive our business forward,” Kovac said. “Being named BK Global Franchisee of the Year in 2018 was a great recognition for our team — and incentive to continue working together to make GPS restaurants our guests’ favorite fast food destination.”
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About GPS Hospitality
Founded in 2012, GPS Hospitality is a BURGER KING® and Popeyes® Louisiana Kitchen franchisee, operating more than 400 restaurants in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. GPS Hospitality seeks to become our guests’ favorite QSR destination by implementing our brand values of being Goal Focused, People Oriented and Service Obsessed. For more information, please visit www.gpshospitality.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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Media Contact:
Ellie Hensley – 678-866-3568 – ehensley@alliedglobalmarketing.com