In June of 2008, Mr. Bendel was appointed to Chief Executive Officer of The Habit Burger Grill, based in Irvine, California. Prior to working for The Habit, Mr. Bendel joined The Cheesecake Factory in July of 2007 as President and Chief Operating Officer. Beginning in June of 2001, Mr. Bendel worked at Mimi’s Cafe as President and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to joining Mimi’s Cafe he was President of Roy’s Restaurants, a joint venture between Outback Steakhouse and Roy Yamaguchi, noted celebrity chef from Hawaii in 1999. From 1995 until June of 1999 Mr. Bendel was a Partner in the Outback Steakhouse franchise group in California.
His other experiences include being the Chief Operating Officer for El Torito Restaurants and Panda Express. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel Administration from Florida International University in Miami, Florida. In 2003, Mr. Bendel received the distinct honor of Operator of the Year at the MUFSO conference in Atlanta. Mr. Bendel was also recognized in 2004 as the Restaurateur of the Year in Orange County, California and was given the Creative Partnership Award in 2005 from UCLA.
In 2012, Mr. Bendel received the Elizabeth Burns Lifetime Achievement Award in Los Angeles, California. Mr. Bendel, also, is on the Board of Advisors for the Collins School of Hospitality Management, at California State Polytechnic University. He is a Director Emaritus for the California Restaurant Association and served as its Chairman in 2009-2010.