Frank Steed has been appointed president and chief executive of Dallas-based Romacorp, which operates and franchises more than 225 Tony Roma restaurants, mainly in the US.

Steed, who was a speaker at last year's Restaurant '99 conference in London, was most recently senior vice-president of franchise development for Metromedia Restaurant Group, looking after the growth of its Ponderosa and Brannigans brands. He was formerly with TGI Friday and successfully helped to establish the brand in Britain.