CEO Search Firm for Restaurant and Hospitality Leadership

Choosing the right CEO search firm can define the future of your organization. At Wray Executive Search, we specialize in CEO recruitment for restaurant, hospitality, and franchise companies—industries where visionary leadership directly impacts brand equity, team culture, and long-term performance.

As a nationally respected CEO search firm for over 50 years, Wray helps Boards, founders, and private equity stakeholders identify and secure executive leadership that delivers lasting value. From first-time CEO appointments to multi-brand succession strategies, our mission is to connect clients with high-impact leaders ready to scale.

A Legacy of Building Leaders

Experts in Restaurant, Hospitality, and Franchise CEO Search

Wray Executive Search is not a generalist firm. We focus on placing CEOs in the foodservice, hotel, and multi-unit franchise space—an arena where brand differentiation, operations experience, and customer-centric thinking are essential. Our experience covers:

  • National and regional quick-service restaurant (QSR) brands

  • Fast-casual startups preparing for multi-unit expansion

  • Legacy casual dining chains seeking turnaround leadership

  • Fine dining restaurant groups with multiple high-end concepts

  • Boutique hotel groups with a luxury positioning

  • Global hospitality companies with operations on multiple continents

  • Multi-brand restaurant holding companies

  • Franchisor organizations with complex support structures

  • Franchisee groups managing 100+ units across states or countries

  • PE-backed chains preparing for IPO or strategic exit

  • Public companies undergoing leadership transition

  • Experiential dining concepts that blend entertainment with service

  • Tech-enabled delivery-first restaurant models

  • Corporate foodservice and contract catering firms

  • Travel and leisure brands expanding food & beverage programs

  • Fast-casual and QSR chains

  • Full-service restaurants and fine dining groups

  • Global hotel operators 

  • PE-backed and founder-led growth brands 

  • Franchise systems and multi-unit organizations 

….Just to name a few.

Trusted by the top restaurant, hospitality, food service, & franchises in the world

The Wray Advantage
A Proven Process Backed by Industry Insight

Unlike typical CEO recruiting firms, we bring decades of vertical expertise. Our process is designed to uncover not just skillsets but character—identifying leaders with the gravitas, executive presence, and alignment required to inspire teams and navigate complexity.

6 Points of Distinction

  • Our Leadership

    Our leading consultants bring substantial senior-level experience.

  • Wide Scope

    Wray Executive Search offers a wide scope of industry knowledge and experience. We provide a wide array of services and have an extensive network in these arenas.

  • Impactful Expertise

    The cross-functional, wide-reaching expertise our company provides can have a deep impact on your business. We serve client needs internationally, nationally, regionally and locally.

  • Unique Guarantees

    We offer a full one-year replacement guarantee ensuring that our candidates will bring value long term. If, for some reason, the hired candidate does not work out, we will find a replacement.

  • Diverse Consultants

    Our consultants bring varied experience from all segments of the industry. We offer broad-based, cross-functional expertise to enhance our partnership.

  • Competitive, Comprehensive Rates

    There are no surprises when it comes to our fees. We maintain highly competitive performance-based rates founded upon our robust executive search record.

Our Team

Get in Touch

If you're looking to hire a position at your company, submit the form and we will be in touch with you shortly.

Our unmatched industry expertise and connections to top-tier talent set us apart as a trusted partner in your search for excellence.

If you are looking to be considered for opportunities, go to our candidate page and submit your resume.

The Role of a CEO Headhunter in Strategic Growth

When navigating a CEO transition, many companies turn to a CEO headhunter to avoid costly missteps. At Wray, our headhunting strategy goes far beyond title and tenure. We assess:

  • Cultural alignment with founders and Boards

  • Experience leading growth-stage or turnaround scenarios

  • Comfort in franchise, ops-heavy, or innovation-led models

  • Communication style and leadership tone

We ensure each candidate has the business acumen and leadership gravitas to lead from day one.

When to Engage a CEO Search Firm

Clients often turn to Wray Executive Search when:

  • Planning succession for a founder or retiring CEO

  • Scaling rapidly with investor or PE backing

  • Transitioning through M&A or brand expansion

  • Facing cultural or performance shifts

Our clients include billion-dollar legacy brands, as well as rising concepts looking for their first institutional CEO. No matter the stage, we bring a tailored approach backed by data, relationships, and results.

CEO Executive Search Tailored to Your Business Model

Every brand is unique—and so is every CEO search. That’s why Wray is recognized as a top-tier CEO executive search firm for organizations that value a consultative, high-touch approach. We ask the right questions, challenge assumptions, and stay laser-focused on long-term fit.

With deep relationships in the restaurant and hospitality world, we bring forward:

  • Candidates from leading foodservice and hotel groups

  • Leaders who’ve scaled franchise systems, navigated global expansion, or turned around underperforming operations

  • Talent with cross-functional expertise across finance, ops, marketing, and innovation.

Trusted by Founders, Boards, and Investors Alike

Whether you're a founder seeking a successor, a Board planning a leadership pivot, or a PE firm assembling a new executive team, Wray is the CEO search firm that brings focus, integrity, and partnership to every engagement.

We understand the balance of urgency and precision. Our clients appreciate:

  • Confidentiality and discretion

  • A rigorous yet collaborative search process

  • Honest counsel and market intelligence

  • Deep understanding of restaurant and hospitality leadership dynamics

CEO Recruiting That Drives Real Business Results

We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all hiring. Our CEO recruiting firm approach is bespoke—delivering leaders who can:

  • Elevate unit-level performance

  • Manage complex operations

  • Align teams around vision and values

  • Drive innovation, expansion, and stakeholder return

It’s not just about hiring a CEO. It’s about hiring the right CEO.

The Wray Difference in CEO Executive Search

There’s a reason we’ve earned the trust of the most respected names in hospitality and foodservice. As your partner in CEO executive search, we bring the insight, access, and integrity that high-stakes hiring demands.

  • We prioritize strategic alignment over speed.

  • We vet for character as much as capability.

  • We champion your brand and your mission in every interaction.

Let’s Find the CEO Who Will Lead Your Future

Wray Executive Search is more than a CEO search firm. We’re your advisor, your advocate, and your partner in leadership transformation.

Let’s build your next chapter—starting at the top. Schedule a conversation with our senior partners today.