Roger David is president and CEO of Gold Star Chili, Inc., an iconic Cincinnati business with two well-known brands in its portfolio of companies – Gold Star and Tom & Chee.
Roger leads a team of dedicated professionals continuing to build the brand his father and uncles started more than 50 years ago. Since being named President and CEO, Roger has grown Gold Star Chili, Inc. to include Tom & Chee, the famous grilled cheese and soup restaurant chain that rocketed to stardom thanks to an appearance on ABC’s “Shark Tank.”
Under his leadership, Gold Star has completed strategic updates to all areas of its business to drive success and growth for the next 50 years and beyond. A $25 million investment translated into a new restaurant look, menu and guest experience throughout all locations. Roger believes restaurant brands are built tableside and has advanced the companies training and development efforts. The company has made a deliberate investment into facility efficiencies to build environmentally-friendly restaurants, which pays off for its franchise owners who are realizing improvements in labor costs, energy usage, and employee productivity. Gold Star is in the process of bringing those same strategies to the Tom & Chee brand to be positioned for success for years to come.
Roger served as CEO of the national sports restaurant franchise, Buffalo Wings & Rings; Director of Brand Strategy at Brandimage, a brand design and consultancy serving fortune 500 clients; and VP of Marketing at Gold Star.