Former NRN publisher Jim Doherty, left, Toni Brinker, center, and NRN publisher Tom Larranaga, right. (Photo by Scott Windus.)
During the recent 50th Anniversary MUFSO conference in Dallas, long-time associates of Norman Brinker honored the renowned business leader, mentor and restaurant innovator, who died in June at age 78. They did that with recollections of what it was about him that touched their lives and the lives of countless others. The testimonials covered everything from Brinker's philosophies, favorite sayings and business victories, to an insider's recounting of how, as the head of Pillsbury's multi-chain restaurant division in the early 1980s, he diffused tensions between the leaders of that conglomerate and the Burger King division he oversaw, which was being sued by larger rival McDonald's over disputed taste-test commercials. Brinker's widow Toni shared her very personal insights.
The night also brought word of a new award called "The Norman" to be presented annually by Nation's Restaurant News to an industry leader and innovator, as well as word of a new scholarship to the Culinary Institute of America in Brinker's memory.
Dive into NRN's full range of coverage about the Brinker event and other MUFSO activities HERE.
