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Julia Stewart
CEO, DineEquity
of my main mentors in this industry
was a man named Bob Leonard who
started in the restaurant industry when
he was 14 and spent his career at both
IHOP corporate and as a franchisee,
so he knew this industry backward and
forward. Bob was a generous, kind man
in both his personal and professional
life an d always willing to offer his perspective and share his experience. He
was very encouraging and supportive and, equally important, frank and
honest with me and everyone around
him. I learned a tremendous amount
from him about the business and how
to treat people, and I’ve tried to pay
that forward. Bob also made time to
give back to his community and support charitable organizations, and I’ve
tried to emulate that as well.
How has your life experience made
you the leader you are today? My
very first experience in the restaurant
industry was a job as a server at my local IHOP, which began a lifelong love
affair with the restaurant industry. I
found it fun, exciting, and extremely
rewarding to be able to be part of a
team providing so many people with a
warm, hospitable, and enjoyable place
where they could come to find good
service and good food. And all these
years later, I still do.
Role models? First and foremost, I’d
have to say my father. He was a teacher,
and he taught me the value and the joy
of learning: the importance of being
open and constantly seeking new information, and the knowledge there was
always something more to learn from
all different types of people. That’s
a critical skill in any company. I also
saw how rewarding it was to teach and
share what you know, and that has also
been a huge part of what I love about
my job—using what I’ve learned from
my experience to lead and help others.
Management gurus or books that
have deeply affected you: I don’t
particularly subscribe to one philosophy
of business or management. Instead,
I think I’ve learned best by watching
those around me who lead by example.
There have been a number of people
I’ve encountered throughout my career
who have shown me the importance of
communication throughout your organization at every level, and how critical
it is to the success of your business to
foster an atmosphere where people can
feel empowered, valued, and involved.
And I have to say I learned that from
people who embraced that philosophy—as well from people who did not!
SYSTEM REVENUE: $7.2 billion (Applebee’s
$4.2 billion, IHOP $2.7 billion, company units
$292 million)
NO. OF UNITS: 3,612 (2,010 Applebee’s,
1,602 IHOPs)
PUBLIC OR PRIVATE: Public
GROWTH PLANS: Build on the iconic status
of our brands through our culture, brand equity,
and positioning, providing quality to our guests,
and development. One of the tenets of our plan
for continued growth is innovation—in our
menu, guest experience, and our restaurants,
domestically and abroad.
FOUNDED: IHOP 1958, Applebee’s 1980
(Following the acquisition of Applebee’s in
to have some wonderful mentors. One
Female leaders you admire: First
November 2007, the name was changed to
DineEquity, Inc., effective June 2, 2008.)
BEGAN FRANCHISING: IHOP 1960,
Applebee’s 1985
YEARS WITH COMPANY: 15 years in the
Applebee’s and IHOP brands, the past 12 as
CEO of IHOP/DineEquity
Has mentorship made a difference in your professional and
personal life? I have been fortunate
YEARS IN FRANCHISING: 30-plus
INTERNATIONAL LOCATIONS:
Applebee’s, 150; IHOP, 51
“I admire any
woman who
is trying to
achieve her
business goals
and contribute
to her industry
and society while
maintaining
a work/life
balance.”
of all, I have to say I admire any woman
who is trying to achieve her business
goals and contribute to her industry and
society while maintaining a work/life
balance. It isn’t easy. Trust me, I know.
But if I picked just one example, I’d say
Anna Maria Chávez, CEO of the Girl
Scouts of America, an organization
very dear to my heart. As a Girl Scout
myself (one is never a “former”) and
the mother of a Girl Scout, I apprecicontinued on page 44
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