PRESIDENT, IHOP

Lawrence Kim started as IHOP’s Brand President in January 2025. Reporting directly to the Dine Brands CEO, Lawrence is responsible for supporting IHOP’s long-term growth and the overall strategic direction for all functional areas, including marketing, operations, technology, culinary, and development.

With more than 20 years of experience working for some of the world’s most influential brands, Lawrence is an innovation-focused leader with a proven ability to create disruptive growth. Lawrence brings deep industry knowledge and a fresh perspective to IHOP. In his role, he will work to drive cultural relevance for the IHOP brand and operational ease for the restaurants, focusing on IHOP’s iconic craveable products, joyful customer service, and passionate team members to build future growth for the brand and franchisees.

Prior to joining IHOP, Lawrence held multiple leadership positions at YUM! Brands (parent company of KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and The Habit Burger Grill), a highly franchised business that operates in over 155 countries, including Chief Innovation Officer and VP of Global Brand Strategy for Taco Bell. He also worked in brand management across different industries at Procter & Gamble and Samsung Electronics.

Lawrence earned his MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, and his Bachelor of Science from University of California, Berkeley. He lives in Southern California with his wife and two children, who are huge fans of IHOP’s world-famous buttermilk pancakes and hickory-smoked bacon.