DENVER – Industry veteran Doug Pendergast has been appointed president and chief executive officer of Quiznos, a national restaurant chain  known for its signature toasted submarine sandwiches and more recently for entering into and exiting bankruptcy protection. He succeeds Stuart Mathis, who led the company since 2012 before recently announcing his resignation to pursue other opportunities. The company has reportedly downsized from more than 5,000 store locations in 2008 to approximately 1,100 currently. 

"Quiznos is an iconic brand, known for quality food, chef-created recipes and an innovative spirit," said Pendergast who has a successful track record for re-establishing struggling foodservice chains. "I am excited to join the leadership team and to help our franchise owners build their profitability, strengthen their businesses and grow the brand for the future. This is a critical and exciting time for the brand. Quiznos is operating under a new food cost and supply model that should improve restaurant economics and is in an excellent position to build customer loyalty and frequency."


Pendergast has held a variety of leadership roles in the restaurant industry. Most recently, he served as president and CEO of The Krystal Company. Prior to that, he was chief development and franchising officer for Craftworks, executive vice president and chief franchise officer for Church's Chicken and vice president of strategy for AFC Enterprises. He has also held positions with McKinsey & Company and Procter & Gamble. He has an MBA from Harvard Univ. and a Bachelor's in engineering from Georgia Tech.

"We are fortunate to have a leader of Doug's caliber join the Quiznos team," said Doug Benham, chairman. "The breadth of his experience in restaurants and franchising combined with his leadership experience in turnaround situations makes him uniquely qualified to lead this organization and move Quiznos forward."

Denver-based Quiznos operates stores in 50 states, more than 40 countries and in one US territory.