Dave Goebel is president and chief executive officer for Applebee's International, Inc., the world's largest casual dining concept, based in Overland Park, Kansas.
Goebel joined Applebee's in February 2001 as senior vice president of franchise operations. He was promoted to executive vice president of operations in December 2002, to chief operating officer in January 2004, to president in January 2005, and to CEO in September 2006. Prior to Applebee's, Goebel had nearly 30 years of general management experience, 22 of which were in the restaurant business. His entrepreneurial orientation twice landed him in his own business, complemented by tenure as an officer in several large foodservice organizations, primarily in operations and development.
Before joining Applebee's, Goebel consulted for Applebee's on franchise strategy and served as president of Summit Management, Inc., a management and consulting company based in Overland Park. Prior to that, Goebel was a franchisee for Boston Market in the Midwest and North Central regions where he developed/acquired 75 restaurants in five years time.
A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Goebel also did post-graduate work at Ohio State University. He has been married to his wife, Jan, for 30 years and is the father of six children. He coaches sports, is a board member and chair of two not-for-profit organizations and maintains a fervent passion for baseball at all levels. |