Karcher Enterprises Appoints Boston Chicken Outlets Chief

Kerry Coin, a senior manager at Carl Karcher Enterprises Inc., was appointed Friday to head the company’s newly formed division that will join the rotisserie chicken craze by developing and operating up to 300 Boston Chicken franchise outlets.

Coin, 46, a one-time Kentucky Fried Chicken executive, will head the division as senior vice president and general manager. Karcher Enterprises also appointed Brad Whitaker, 40, once a KFC Western regional director, as the division’s vice president for development.

Coin joined Karcher Enterprises a year ago and has been its vice president for strategic development. He remains a member of the company’s senior management team. Whitaker joined Karcher Enterprises last April as director of real estate and has since helped to develop Carl’s Jr. outlets domestically and in Mexico. He was a real estate and construction industry executive for more than 15 years.

The Anaheim company, which has been trying to pull its Carl’s Jr. fast-food chain out of the doldrums, said previously that it had reached agreement with Boston Chicken Inc. to become the largest area developer and franchisee of the Naperville, Ill., company.

Under a licensing agreement, Karcher Enterprises will develop and operate Boston Chicken outlets in the Los Angeles, San Diego, Palm Springs, Santa Barbara, Bakersfield and Sacramento markets. Financial terms have not been disclosed.

The decision to promote Boston Chicken outlets irks some Carl’s Jr. franchisees, which sell chicken sandwiches in addition to hamburgers and other fast-food fare. The Carl’s Jr. franchisees believe the company will soon ignore them.

Karcher Enterprises, which owns more than half of the 648 Carl’s Jr. restaurants in California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and Mexico, has said it will turn about 30 into Boston Chicken outlets.

Boston Chicken is the nation’s largest rotisserie roasted chicken chain with 228 stores in 21 states.