O'Charley's Names Jeffrey D. Warne President and Chief Executive Officer

O'Charley's Inc. (Nasdaq:CHUX), a leading casual dining company, today announced that it has named Jeffrey D. Warne as its president and chief executive officer, effective immediately. Warne, who served as president of the O'Charley's concept, was also appointed to the board of directors, increasing the total number of the company's directors to eleven. The company also announced that Philip J. Hickey, a member of the board of directors since January 2009, has been elected chairman of the board.

An executive with substantial experience in casual dining, Warne, age 48, joined the Company as president of the O'Charley's concept in early 2006 after sixteen years with Carlson Companies, Inc. In his most recent assignment at Carlson, Warne was president and chief operating officer of Pick Up Stix. Previous assignments at Carlson included executive vice president and chief operating officer of TGI Friday's International, and chief financial officer of Carlson Restaurants Worldwide. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a BS from St. Cloud State University. Warne is a Certified Public Accountant and a Chartered Financial Analyst.

'After conducting a nationwide search, our board concluded that Jeff Warne is the best candidate to lead the company as its new chief executive officer,' said Hickey. 'He is a proven leader with a broad skill set, an impressive track record, and deep operational experience in the restaurant industry. Since he became president of the O'Charley's concept in 2006, he has strengthened its management team, accelerated the pace of food and beverage innovation, and brought a structured and analytical approach to managing all aspects of the business. We are confident that he will build on his recent success to drive improvements in the company's performance.'

'I would also like to express the board's appreciation to Larry Hyatt for his performance as interim chief executive officer since February. We look forward to Larry's contributions to the company's future success in his continuing role as chief financial officer.'

Prior to joining the board of O'Charley's Inc., Hickey served as chief executive officer of RARE Hospitality International, Inc., the owner of LongHorn Steakhouse and The Capital Grille, from July 1998 until the sale of that company to Darden Restaurants Inc. in October 2007. He also served as chairman of the board of RARE between January 2001 and October 2007.

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