Dave Shula is back in charge of the restaurant empire built on his father's name. The company announced on September 23 that Shula, the eldest son of Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Don Shula, has returned as president of Shula's Restaurant Group, a role he already held for nearly 20 years before stepping away.
The announcement, made in a release carried by prnewswire.com, frames Shula's return as the start of a new chapter for the six-concept, more than 30-location restaurant group. As the Thomasville Times-Enterprise reported, Shula will lead team building and development within the corporate organization as the company pushes forward with expansion plans. He first joined the family business in 1997, spending more than two decades helping guide its growth as president and national ambassador, according to Foodservice Equipment & Supplies.
The company traces its roots to 1989, when Shula's Steak House first opened, launching what would become the broader restaurant group, per Nation's Restaurant News. That outlet describes the company as now operating and franchising six concepts across 30 locations, while the prnewswire release puts the figure at more than 30 locations nationwide — a discrepancy in exact counts that the available reporting does not resolve.
Expansion Plans Point South to Georgia
Under Shula's renewed leadership, the group says it will focus on supporting growth across its existing franchise concepts while pursuing new opportunities, the same Foodservice Equipment & Supplies report notes. Near-term plans include opening Shula's American Kitchen at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel and Executive Meeting Center Palm Beach Gardens this winter, with a further push into Thomasville, Georgia, slated for 2027, making it a new market for the brand. The company says it is also exploring additional nationwide expansion opportunities beyond those two markets, according to the prnewswire release.
Shula's own history is deeply tied to football as well as hospitality. He began his coaching career with the Miami Dolphins under his father in 1982, according to Dartmouth College Athletics, before going on to serve as offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys and head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals from 1992 to 1996. He later returned to football in 2018 as wide receivers coach at his alma mater, Dartmouth College, where he coached through 2023, per Foodservice Equipment & Supplies.
A Family Name Built on a Perfect Season
The Shula name carries singular weight in football history. Don Shula led the Miami Dolphins to the NFL's only perfect season, finishing 17-0 in 1972, a feat described by Restaurant News as unmatched in the league's 105-year history. The restaurant group was founded to bring those same standards into hospitality, a link the elder Shula himself has emphasized.
The elder Shula reportedly told his son, “I didn't get into the restaurant business to do anything but enhance the reputation I built as a football coach.” Dave Shula has said he draws on principles of preparation, discipline, accountability, teamwork and integrity in leading the company, and has said he intends to reinforce that culture across the restaurant portfolio as it grows.
