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Hawaiian Punch

Southern Rock’s growth trajectory began with the acquisition of 23 McAlister’s Delis in 2011.  Over the subsequent 14 years, the organization experienced explosive growth through the development of new locations and strategic acquisitions, emerging as the largest franchisee.

Hawaiian Punch Leadership

Steven Burge

Director of Operations

Steven Burge was born and raised in Texas, moving frequently throughout his childhood as the son of a high school coach. He attended West Texas A&M University, where he studied Physics while also serving in the Marine Corps Reserves for six years.

Steven’s career in the restaurant industry began at Joe’s Crab Shack, where he worked as a server and bartender before moving into management. His leadership abilities quickly became evident, and he traveled across the country opening new Joe’s Crab Shack locations. After four years in the seafood industry, he was recruited as an Area Coach for a Pizza Hut franchisee, a role that led him and his wife, Charlene, to Indianapolis. There, he advanced to Director of Operations.

Steven later joined a large multi-brand restaurant group operating over 150 restaurants, including Wendy’s, Denny’s, Long John Silver’s, Grandy’s, and McAlister’s. He spent 11 years growing within the organization until the restaurants were sold, leading him to Southern Rock Restaurants. He joined SRR as part of the acquisition of McAlister’s locations in Bedford, IN, and Vincennes, IN, and now serves as Director of Operations.

Steven is passionate about building strong teams and fostering a positive, people-first culture. Known for his upbeat attitude and well-timed dad jokes, he believes in creating workplaces where people enjoy coming to work. He follows in his father’s footsteps by coaching his son’s baseball, basketball, and football teams.

Steven firmly believes in the power of people and is committed to challenging his teams to embrace the idea that together, they can accomplish more than they ever could individually.

Ryan Downam

Director of Operations

Ryan Downam has treasured his time of 30 years in the service industry which include Restaurants, Retail, Sales, and Grocery environments. Ryan’s college career started with his passion for small animals which led him to God’s Country of West Lafayette, IN at Purdue University (Boiler Up). He later switched fields to achieve his B.S. in Management & Leadership which has helped him grow within this industry. He has always had a passion for cultivating teams by protecting what is so important to our industry, “The Team, The Guest, & The Brand”. Being able to help teams impact guest retention, sales, & company financials, he has helped Southern Rock Restaurants grow to the largest franchisee of McAlister’s Deli. Ryan has helped advance the brand in team development, technology, and product through operational excellence, and profit improvements. Through his career he has helped lead teams to achieve sales of over 80 million dollars for his region. While developing the largest expanding area for SRR he has overseen over 1,600 team members & been involved with over 30 new restaurant openings.

Born in central Indiana & now calling Fort Wayne, IN his home with his wife, Kali. Ryan enjoys traveling with his wife, mostly by sea, as he loves the water & cruising. They also have three crazy French Bulldogs, (Finn, Wally, & Raya) that help them relax at the pool & create not stop terror at their lovely home.

Stacey Williams

Director of Operations

Stacey’s remarkable journey spans over 30 years in the restaurant and retail industry, fueled by her unwavering passion for working with people.  From developing others to lead great operations and taking on multiple roles while collaborating on transformational projects she has a wide scope of experience . Stacey’s imprint on the Panera brand is profound, having opened over 45 restaurants, directed transformational operational procedural changes, created operational efficiencies through production design, and created a leadership growth model that continued to widen her scope to make a successful impact to Panera.  Along with work in the restaurant industry she holds a B.S. in science and started her master’s degree in becoming a family therapist.

Our Locations

Southern Rock Restaurants Hawaiian Punch Locations Include: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia.

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