Buffets, Inc. CEO Anthony Wedo Appears On CBS's "Undercover Boss" Friday, October 18

GREER, S.C., Oct. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Buffets, Inc. Anthony Wedo, who took over as CEO of the country's largest steak buffet chain in December, will be featured on the Friday, October 18^th edition of CBS's hit reality series "Undercover Boss" (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT).   Wedo went undercover as "Mike Davis," in several of his Hometown® Buffet, Old Country Buffet® and Ryan's® restaurants nationwide, where he worked a variety of jobs alongside servers, grill cooks, managers, and cashiers.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131014/FL97074 )

As a new CEO embarking on a reinvention of the brands, Wedo went undercover because he wanted to get behind the scenes to gain an unvarnished view of what is really going on in the restaurants. What he got was far more.

"I certainly learned about some of the challenges our employees face at work, but what really touched me were their personal stories," Wedo said. "I now see exactly where the paycheck goes for our associates and what it means for them. This experience has made me even more committed to turn this business around.  People are counting on us."

While the filming took him away from his CEO duties for several days, Wedo said that going undercover was a once in a lifetime experience. "This show changes lives – both of the employees and the bosses. I, for one, will never be the same," Wedo said.

"This experience embodied something I believe in deeply, that I am compelled to help those with many worries but with few complaints. Our employees have many challenges, but they work hard and give so much of themselves every day.  I am now even more focused on lifting up my teammates wherever I can to provide them with help not only at work but with their lives as well," he said.

UNDERCOVER BOSS is a two-time Emmy Award-winning reality series that follows high-level corporate executives as they slip anonymously into the rank-and-file of their own companies. Each week, a different executive will leave the comfort of their corner office for an undercover mission to examine the inner workings of their corporation. 

About Buffets, Inc.

Buffets, Inc., one of the nation's largest steak-buffet restaurant companies, currently operates 343 restaurants in 35 states, comprised of 333 steak-buffet restaurants and 10 Tahoe Joe's Famous Steakhouse restaurants.  The restaurants are principally operated under the Old Country Buffet®, HomeTown® Buffet and Ryan's® brands. Buffets employs approximately 18,000 team members and serves approximately 100 million customers annually.  For more information, visit www.Buffet.com.

SOURCE Buffets, Inc.