Bill Allen is an Operating Partner at Butterfly and focuses primarily on the foodservice and food distribution sectors, and currently serves on the board of directors of Modern Restaurant Concepts. He has over 35 years of experience in foodservice, including senior leadership positions with Bloomin’ Brands, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar and Le Madeleine French Bakery and Café, among others.
Prior to joining Butterfly, Mr. Allen was CEO of Bloomin’ Brands from 2005 to 2009 (and served as Chairman of its board of directors from 2009 to 2011). During his tenure at Bloomin’ Brands, Mr. Allen oversaw the $3.9 billion take-private of the company in 2007 by Bain Capital and L Catterton. Previously, Mr. Allen was involved in the creation and expansion of Fleming’s, which he co-founded with Paul Fleming in 1998 and subsequently sold a majority stake to Bloomin’ Brands in 2004. Prior to Fleming’s, Mr. Allen served as President and CEO for La Madeleine French Bakery and Café. Earlier in his career, Mr. Allen gained experience with The Marriott Corporation and Restaurant Enterprises Group.
Mr. Allen is a value-added investor, advisor and board member to many established and early-stage growth companies that operate in and around foodservice. Mr. Allen has worked with many high growth brands including Barteca Restaurant Group (acquired by Del Frisco’s in 2017), Chopt, Dig Inn, The Habit Burger Grill (acquired by Yum! Brands in 2020), Hopdoddy Burger Bar, Mendocino Farms (acquired by TPG Capital in 2017), Paul Martin’s American Bistro, PDQ, P.F. Chang’s (acquired by L Catterton in 1997), Piada, Proper Foods, Protein Bar, Punch Bowl Social (acquired by Cracker Barrel in 2019), Tender Greens, Tocaya Organica, Uncle Julio’s and Velvet Taco. Mr. Allen is also an active investor and advisor to various foodservice technology companies including Omnivore (restaurant management system), Pepper (ordering and payment platform), Revel (point of sale platform) and SevenRooms (restaurant reservation system).
