- When Kelli Valade became CEO of Denny’s, she didn’t walk in with a five-point plan—she brought a notebook. The former Red Lobster chief always starts a new gig by asking staff and diners what’s worth keeping and what needs to change. “If you ask enough times and just wait for the answers, the real stuff does come out.”
First day on the job? Don’t come in hot—just come hungry to listen. That’s, at least, according to Denny’s CEO Kelli Valade.
The 55-year-old became head of the over 1600-location strong diner chain in 2022 and her first order of business was asking her new workforce a series of particular questions. And they’re the exact same ones that she asked workers when she took top jobs at Red Lobster and Chili’s.
“(What) I always do with a new assignment is walk around with a little journal and start asking people the same questions. What’s it like around here? What do you love about it here? What would make it even better here? What’s sacred here?” Valade told Nation’s Restaurant News.
“Those same questions really get to this underpinning of what the culture’s really like. And if you ask enough times and just wait for the answers, the real stuff does come out.”
At the time of her arrival, Denny’s had a strong balance sheet, but Valade said the “hangover” of the previous lockdown-filled pandemic years emphasized an even greater need to think outside of the box and be curious—something that she’s embodied throughout her career.
“Maybe don’t color inside the lines, maybe don’t wait to be asked for something. Maybe just say, ‘I think I can help.’ What’s the worst that can happen?” she added.
Fortune reached out to Valade for comment.
Success is found on a two-way street
While asking questions is important to succeed in business, what’s just as important, Valade said, is being able to actually listen and accept feedback—even if it’s something that’s hard to swallow.
“Emotional intelligence is as strong as any other intelligence, and that has served me well,” Valade said. “If people have given me feedback—and I’ve gotten a lot and I’m a work in progress—listen to that feedback. React. Be appreciative of it. And use it to your advantage and move forward.”
This philosophy has served Valade well throughout her career as she’s climbed the ranks in the restaurant industry. Her previous stints include brand president of Chili’s and CEO of Red Lobster before joining Denny’s.
And while some business leaders may be dead set on a job title or salary in their career, she encouraged young people to instead find a pathway that truly sparks a passion.
“I often say you have to be true to yourself. You have to find a product that you love, or a story or dream that you can really associate with, that really hits home for you,” she said to NRN.
Denny’s creation of a tech leader
Denny’s may be known for its breakfast Grand Slams, but for one tech CEO, the company means a whole lot more.
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang’s first-ever job was working as a dishwasher at a Denny’s when he was just 15 years old:
“I planned my work. I was organized. I was mise en place,” Huang told students at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business last year. “I washed the living daylights out of those dishes.”
And with a net worth of some $119 billion, he said his experience at Denny’s helped highlight the importance of having a strong work ethic, no matter the job.
“No task is beneath me,” Huang said. “I used to be a dishwasher. I used to clean toilets. I cleaned a lot of toilets. I’ve cleaned more toilets than all of you combined. And some of them you just can’t unsee.”
