• by Teresa Buyikian , October 10, 2025

One marketing vet is bringing 25 years of restaurant and hospitality know-how to an expanding experiential dining chain parent company.

Melissa Fry has been appointed CMO of Twin Hospitality Group, which owns and operates the Twin Peaks and Smokey Bones brands.

Fry joins the chain most recently from Hooters of America, where she served as senior director of marketing, heading media, digital, influencer and local marketing.

“Melissa brings unparalleled experience in experiential dining,” says Kim Boerema, CEO of Twin Hospitality Group. “Her proven ability to craft innovative, community-driven campaigns and scale field marketing strategies is indicative of the leadership needed to drive traffic and deepen guest engagement. Under Melissa's direction, we will unlock meaningful synergies between Twin Peaks and Smokey Bones, enhancing marketing efficiencies across our portfolio while preserving each brand’s distinct identity.”

Overall, Twin Hospitality Group owns approximately 114 Twin Peaks and 51 Smokey Bones locations in across 27 states primarily in the south and eastern U.S. The company reports more than 100 new Twin Peaks locations are currently in development.

Twin Peaks restaurant is designed with log cabin-esque woodsy decor, with waitstaff clad in red plaid flannel shirts, serving beer on draft that is kept at 29 degrees.  Smokey Bones, as the name implies, is a meat-forward full-service restaurant specializing in ribs and other slow cooked, fire-grilled and seared meats.

CEO Boerema just joined the company in May of this year from Parry’s Pizzeria & Taphouse, a brand he founded and for which he served as president and CEO. He previously worked as chief operating officer for California Pizza Kitchen. After his appointment he also hired Ken Brendemihl as president of Smokey Bones, who joined after serving as chief operating officer for Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.  

Twin Hospitality Group reported a 4.1% decrease in revenue in Q2 2025 to $87.8 million, attributing the loss to Smokey Bones restaurant closures and lower same-store sales.