Accelerating Decision Making & Execution Through Org Design

Client: Private Equity–Backed Restaurant Company

OVERVIEW
A private equity–backed restaurant company engaged Summit Leadership Partners to address organizational barriers that were slowing decision making and limiting execution. As the business worked to improve performance and create stronger alignment across brands and shared services, leadership recognized that the existing structure, operating model, and accountability mechanisms were no longer supporting the company’s strategic priorities. The organization needed a clearer model for how decisions were made, how functions partnered, and how leaders were positioned to drive more consistent execution across the business.

CHALLENGE
The company’s organization structure and operating model were inhibiting effective decision making and slowing execution. Misalignment between brand leadership and shared services reinforced siloed ways of working, while corporate functional priorities often outweighed brand needs. This created confusion around ownership, weakened accountability, and made it more difficult to execute consistently across locations. In addition, uneven franchisee enablement, unclear operating standards, and leadership turnover contributed to underperformance and made it harder to sustain a strong culture.

ACTIONS
Summit partnered with the CEO, sponsor, and leadership team to evaluate how the organization needed to evolve to support stronger performance. The work began with an enterprise-wide survey and multiple stakeholder interviews to identify strengths, barriers, and execution gaps. Summit then facilitated an org design and operating model workshop with the leadership team and developed a go-forward organization design and operating model for the CEO and next two levels. The engagement also included functional charters, decision rights, and organization design plans across brands and shared services, along with role scorecards and executive assessments for critical positions to determine leadership fit and future needs.

OUTCOME
The engagement gave the company a clearer path forward for aligning structure, decision making, and leadership around its strategic priorities. Summit helped streamline the CEO’s direct-report structure, clarify ownership and cross-functional handoffs, and strengthen brand accountability while better aligning shared services to support execution. The work also provided implementation sequencing, change management guidance, and leadership recommendations, positioning the organization to move forward with a more effective operating model and a stronger foundation for performance improvement.