Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue I, 2012 | Page 18

MEGA
By Debbie Selinsky

Denny’s Queen
Dawn Lafreeda,
with 70 units in
6 states, is a
brand champion

“S

ometimes interesting things
happen in a bad economy,”
says Dawn Lafreeda, CEO
and president of Den-Tex
Central Inc. in San Antonio. While the
economy continued to hammer the restaurant industry, Lafreeda opened 10
Denny’s restaurants in 2010 and 14 in
2011. That brings her total to a whopping 70 in six states (Texas, Missouri,
Kansas, Illinois, Arkansas, and Oklahoma).
“That’s a lot of growth,” admits
Lafreeda, who began her Denny’s career as a 16-year-old in Orange County,

Name: Dawn Lafreeda
Title: President, CEO
Company: Den-Tex Central, Inc.
No. of units: 70 Denny’s

restaurants
Age: 50

Family: I have a wonderful partner

I have been with for the last 17
years. We have 7-year-old twin
sons.

Years in franchising: 26
Years in current position: 26

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Multi-Unit Franchisee Is s ue I, 2012