Tony Hughes has joined The Restaurant Group as non-executive director, just two days after retiring from the board of Mitchells & Butlers.

The architect of M&B’s food business joined the Frankie & Benny’s operator today after 12 years with the pub giant.

He stepped down as managing director of restaurants on 1 October 2007 and was succeeded by Adam Fowle but continued as a board member until the end of the calendar year.

Alan Jackson, chairman of the Restaurant Group, said: “I am delighted to welcome Tony Hughes to the board. Tony has a wealth of experience in the restaurant industry with a strong background of developing and growing branded restaurants.”

Hughes, who won a Pub Industry Catey in 2001, joined Bass Taverns in 1995 as managing director of the restaurant division.

In 2003 Bass, now Six Continents, de-merged to become InterContinental Hotels and M&B, where Hughes joined the board.

Prior to joining Bass, Hughes held senior management roles at B&Q, J.A. Devenish and Whitbread, where he was operations director of Beefeater and managing director of TGI Friday's.

Mitchells & Butlers' Tony Hughes retires >>

By Christopher Walton