Their life’s work is all around us. In Southtown St. Joseph alone you see evidence of their enterprise clustered near Hilltop & Washington Avenues in the form of a Burger King, a Chili’s Restaurant and a Papa Vino’s Italian Kitchen. They are Quality Dining and today they have another member of the Fitzpatrick family in the executive suite.
Daniel J. Fitzpatrick — known simply as DJ — has been appointed today to the role of Vice President of Planning for the prolific restaurant empire which operates 167 Burger King restaurants throughout the region, 41 Chili’s establishments, 2 Papa Vino’s and 1 Spageddie’s Italian Kitchen.
As a result, DJ joins his father, Daniel B. Fitzpatrick, in taking the enterprise to the next level. His father is the long time Chairman & Chief Executive Officer for the corporation.
DJ is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame (B.A. Accounting 2005: M.S. Accounting 2006). He “walked on” to the Fighting Irish football team, later earned a scholarship and played professional football for parts of three seasons.
From 2008 through 2010, DJ worked as a credit analyst at the Northern Trust Bank in Chicago. Thereafter he joined Goldman Sachs’ Wealth Management division in West Palm Beach, Florida where he was responsible for client coverage, portfolio management and team operations. He was promoted to Vice President in 2014.
Daniel B. Fitzpatrick says, “As our company continues to grow and expand its restaurant base, we are pleased to add DJ’s skill set to the QDI leadership team.”
DJ Fitzpatrick responds by saying, “I am proud to join one of the country’s leading franchised restaurant organizations. I look forward to doing my part to support the growth of our business, building guest satisfaction, being an employer of choice and a contributing corporate citizen in the communities where we live and work.” DJ adds, “My wife, Brooke, and I could not be more excited to return to the Michiana community. This truly feels like home.”
According to John C. Firth, the President of Quality Dining, “DJ will add to the strength of our leadership of the company for years to come. I have known DJ personally for many years and as a colleague since he joined our board of directors three years ago. Today, I welcome him to our executive leadership team with confidence that his business and financial acumen will fill a critical role in helping us achieve our strategic objectives.”
The Quality Dining impact is felt throughout the region, not only through their restaurants, but the large employee base they maintain in the market and their philanthropy, most notably through their long-running Catholic School support campaign of the Lend a Hand coupon booklets each year.
