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Nick Vojnovic

New Position: President, Beef O' Brady's, Tampa. Previous Position: Chief operating officer, Family Sports Concepts, Tampa

By FRED W. WRIGHT JR.
Published March 14, 2005

With 160 Beef O' Brady's outlets across the country and more on the way this year, Nick Vojnovic knew his new position as president of the restaurant would put him on the road much of each month.

The Tampa-based sports pub and restaurant chain opened 28 new restaurants in 2004 and hopes to add 50 new locations by the end of 2005. Although the chain has its greatest number of outlets in Florida, there's an increasing concentration in such markets as Chicago, Dallas, Minneapolis and Atlanta, Vojnovic said. That means more trips to potential franchisees across the country.

"My dream was always to become president of a restaurant company someday," he said, "so travel comes with the opportunity." Vojnovic expects to be traveling 75 percent of the time.

Vojnovic (VOY-no-vich) joined Beef O' Brady's seven years ago, as vice president of franchise and operations. "Early on, most of the (restaurants) were local, so you could drive to them. But they got farther and farther out" from Tampa, he said.

Vojnovic was previously chief operating officer of the parent company of Beef O' Brady's, Family Sports Concepts. As president of Beef O' Brady's, Vojnovic said his focus is less on the operational side and more on the marketing and finance side.

"I'm not as responsible for the day-to-day," he explained. "I'm more focused on "today' for the next 12 months."

Vojnovic grew up in Pittsburgh and in the restaurant business. His grandfather was a restaurateur in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, and both of his brothers eventually went into the business too.

Vojnovic earned a bachelor's degree in hotel administration at Cornell University in 1981. After working for a consultancy in Washington for three years, he became food and beverage manager of a Ramada Inn in Montgomery, Ala. He held a string of restaurant jobs, including stints with the Chili's Bar & Grill chain, Applebee's and Famous Dave's of America, before joining Beef O' Brady's and Family Sports Concepts in 1998.

"Early in my career, I jumped around a lot if I saw an opportunity to learn more," he said.

Vojnovic said the restaurant business appeals to him "because I like to combine business and people. It's a very engaging kind of industry. I felt the opportunity to help people to enjoy themselves."

Every day offers a different challenge, Vojnovic said. "One day I'm helping with construction, another working with corporate staff with their issues, the next day doing real estate, the next day leading a discussion on how to improve your restaurant.

"It's very fast-paced," he said. "I get calls on weekends and at night. I enjoy all aspects of what we do."

Vojnovic, 45, is chairman-elect of the Florida Restaurant Association.

He and his wife, Rene, have two children and live in Valrico. Vojnovic said he has been jogging regularly in preparation for a 10K run in Chicago in May. And if all goes as planned, he said, he would like to run the 15K Gasparilla Distance Classic in Tampa next year.

[Last modified March 12, 2005, 01:07:01]