Paul Motenko

Biography

Paul has spent the last 27 years in the full-service casual dining segment of the restaurant industry.  In 1991, Paul teamed up with his partner, Jerry Hennessy, to purchase a 3-unit pizza chain in Southern California.  This humble chain would eventually become BJ’s Restaurants and Brewhouse, a publicly-traded, nationally-renowned casual dining concept.

As Co-CEO alongside Hennessy, Paul’s leadership and entrepreneurial spirit led to exponential growth at BJ’s, taking the chain from 3 units to 82 units by the mid 2000’s.  Having gone public under Paul’s stewardship, BJ’s is now one of the great success stories in casual dining, boasting 200 restaurants and over $1 billion in annual revenue.

Paul’s unwavering focus on quality, experience, and culture were critical to the success of the BJ’s brand, and continue to be a driving force behind the success of STACKED:  Food Well Built, a concept in which he is the Co-Founder and current Co-CEO alongside Hennessy.  Paul co-founded STACKED in 2010.

Before venturing into the restaurant industry, Paul began his career in public accounting.  He received his Bachelor’s from the University of Illinois.

When he isn’t concocting the perfect burger at STACKED or consuming copious amounts of STACKED butter cake, Paul enjoys spending time with his family.  To work off all those calories, he spends many weekends hiking the mountains of Southern California.  Paul is also actively involved in supporting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.