SCRLA Chairman Among the Most Influential Restaurant CEOs in the Country

SCRLA Board Chairman, Bobby Williams, was named among the most influential restaurant CEOs in the country, according to Nation's Restaurant News readers.

View the gallery here.

Robert E. “Bobby” Williams, Jr. is the President and CEO of Lizard’s Thicket, Inc., a family owned and operated restaurant that was founded in 1977 by his parents. Bobby also serves as the Chairman of the South Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association (SCRLA). The SCRLA is a statewide, non-partisan trade organization, whose mission is to promote, protect and educate the foodservice and lodging industries of the state and to ensure positive business growth for their members.

As CEO of Lizard’s Thicket, Bobby oversees the operation of 15 restaurants in Columbia and Florence, South Carolina. Managing more than 600 employees, Lizard’s Thicket serves more than 4.6 million customers each year.

Lizard’s Thicket has become a hub for social and political life in the Midlands. It serves plain, affordable Southern food — unadorned country classics like meatloaf and chicken fried steak, along with sides from collard greens to rice and gravy to Jell-O. The restaurant is unique in that it’s never expanded beyond the immediate region — and it’s still run by the same family that founded it 40 years ago.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bobby was forced to close all 15 of his restaurants for indoor dining. Luckily, Lizard’s Thicket locations have a drive-thru where individuals could get their meals to go. In addition to the drive-thrus, customers may order Lizard’s Thicket online through an app powered by Incentivio for pick-up at each location, and for delivery through Bite Squad and EZcater.

Bobby reopened all of his restaurants with the exception of two in the Columbia-area on June 11. Employees from the two locations were needed to support operations at the 13 other restaurants due to lack of applicants willing to fill the full-time and part-time positions. The two restaurants were able to reopen in August.

“We are so grateful for our loyal customers who have stuck with us throughout this pandemic, and are excited to see our patrons in the dining rooms again. The COVID-19 virus has caused strain on all aspects of our operations - from food supply to staffing - but we are committed to operating our business as safely and efficiently as possible," Lizard’s Thicket Chairman Bobby Williams said. “Our commitment to our customers always comes first, and this difficult decision has been made with all of our stakeholders in mind. Temporarily closing two locations will allow us to have enough staff to provide our other locations with the excellent service our customers expect.”

As Chairman of the SCRLA, Bobby was appointed to Governor Henry McMaster’s AccelerateSC Task Force, which released guidelines for businesses to adjust their operations in order to maintain social distancing and a safe space for everyone.

Based on advice and recommendations from the “Response” component of accelerateSC, which included input from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) and the SCRLA, Governor McMaster established guidelines for restaurants to follow if and when they choose to open for dine-in services. These guidelines were established prior to the National Restaurant Association and the Centers for Disease Control issuing their guidance.

Restaurants opened in three phases, beginning on May 4 with outdoor dining and going to full capacity for indoor and outdoor dining on October 2.

Since March, Bobby has been featured in more than 100 news articles and interviews, serving as the spokesperson for the SCRLA. His efforts, along with those of SCRLA employees, have been instrumental in restaurants reopening and the creation of the Palmetto Priority Commitment. Palmetto Priority is a formal commitment made by South Carolina restaurateurs to provide a clean and safe environment for their staff and customers to demonstrate the extensive precautions that they are taking to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This commitment was formed in partnership with Governor McMaster, DHEC and the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.

Bobby also serves as the Vice Chair of the South Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Education Foundation, which was instrumental in the creation of the South Carolina Hospitality Relief Fund. The relief fund was set up with a generous $25,000 donation and raised more than $50,000 for hospitality employees throughout the state. Qualified applicants were eligible to receive a $250 grant through the relief fund.

In addition to his Chairmanship, Bobby serves as Board Member Emeritus for the National Restaurant Association; a board member of the University of South Carolina’s College of Hospitality, Retail and Sports Management; a board member of Town Theatre; and a former board member of Providence Hospital in Columbia.