Greg Willman, CEO of Middle Eastern restaurant chain Naf Naf Grill, will retire from his executive role as per his notice to the company’s board.

Grady Metoyer, the company’s current CFO, has been appointed as interim CEO.

Willman said he will work with the board in an advisory capacity over the next two months and will remain active as a board member and investor afterward.

Willman joined the chain in 2019 and was appointed as CEO one year later before becoming the board chair. In 2022, he was named the most influential CEO of the Nation’s Restaurant News’ Power List. 

Having been the company’s CFO for eight years, Metoyer brings more than 25 years of finance and operations executive experience in the food and beverage industry. Before working at Naf Naf, he held executive positions at Sygma, a Sysco-owned company, and Food Brand LLC. 

Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Chicago, Naf Naf Grill operates 39 locations nationwide.

Earlier, the chain launched its first California location in Barstow.