---
title: "The National Restaurant Association Has a New CEO"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/1853e6b2-dc7a-467b-ad1e-760477bb4ae7
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/the-national-restaurant-association-has-a-new-ceo-2713124
category: "Restaurants"
industry: "Restaurants"
topics: ["Finance & M&A","People"]
published: 2020-05-19T22:17:32.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:29:18.157Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/2b3ce79ab8818d0d77fba5350711c47a9653.jpg
---

# The National Restaurant Association Has a New CEO

**TL;DR:** The National Restaurant Association has a new CEO, Tom Bene, who will lead the industry during the coronavirus pandemic. Tom Bene, former CEO of Sysco and president of PepsiCo, will join the NRA as CEO on June 1.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2020-05-19. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/the-national-restaurant-association-has-a-new-ceo-2713124).*

## Story

**The National Restaurant Association has announced a new president and CEO.**

**According to an** **article published Monday in FastCasual****, Tome Bene, the former CEO of Sysco and president of PepsiCo will join the NRA in the top executive position at a crucial time for the industry. As restaurants across the country reel from the ongoing health and economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the NRA is advocating on their behalf at “the local, state, and federal levels, while promoting the U.S. restaurant industry to members, prospective members, industry leaders and allies, government representatives, media, and consumers.”**

**Bene’s experience at Sysco and PepsCo leave him well equipped to lead the NRA, said board chair Melvin Rodrigue in a press release.**

> **“Tom's business acumen coupled with his remarkable record of success will be invaluable for our members and our industry as we begin the process of reopening and rebuilding. And, we remain grateful for Chief Financial and People Officer Marvin Irby, and his exemplary service as interim CEO during the last five-and-a-half months."**

**Bene will step into his new role as on June 1.**

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- National Restaurant Association (company)
- PepsiCo (company)
- coronavirus pandemic (topic)
- Sysco (company)
- industry leadership (topic)
- new ceo (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/the-national-restaurant-association-has-a-new-ceo-2713124). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/1853e6b2-dc7a-467b-ad1e-760477bb4ae7).