- When Kelli Valade became CEO of Denny’s, she didn’t walk in with a five-point plan—she brought a notebook. The former Red Lobster chief always starts a new gig by asking staff and diners what’s worth keeping and what needs to change. “If you ask enough times and just wait for the answers, the real stuff does come out.”
First day on the job? Don’t come in hot—just come hungry to listen. That’s, at least, according to Denny’s CEO Kelli Valade.
