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Serial entrepreneur and longtime restaurant group chief executive Julia Stewart, 70, is going viral<\/a> this week for making one of “the best moves in leadership<\/a>” when it comes to business deal comebacks.<\/p>\n After seven years as a senior leader at Taco Bell, Julia Stewart joined Applebee’s as president in 1998. She left after three years when she was denied a promotion to CEO, she says, despite being promised and earning the role \u2014 during her tenure, company and franchise sales skyrocketed<\/a>, and so did the stock price, per Fortune<\/a>. Soon after the snub, she joined IHOP as chair and CEO in 2001, per LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n Related:<\/b> How Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Transformed a Graphics Card Company Into an AI Giant: ‘One of the Most Remarkable Business Pivots in History’<\/a><\/p>\n After about six years in the role, in November 2007, IHOP acquired Applebee’s<\/a> for $2.1 billion, and Stewart had a phone call to make.<\/p>\n “I called the chair and CEO of Applebee’s, and I said, ‘Just wanted to say hi.’ And he said, ‘I was expecting this call,'” Stewart recently told<\/a> The Matthews Mentality Podcast<\/i>. “And I said, ‘As you know, this morning, we announced that we have purchased, for $2.3 billion, the company, and we don’t need two of us, so I’m gonna have to let you go.”<\/p>\n @kylematthewsceo<\/a> Replying to @Lindsay The best do ever do it\u2026 Julia Stewart. Episode 59 of The Matthews Mentality Podcast #f#fyp<\/a>p#podcastclips<\/a>p#plottwist<\/a>p#powermove<\/a> \u266c original sound – Kyle Matthews | Sales Tips<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Stewart would continue to serve as the chair and CEO of the parent company, Dine Brands Global, for another decade.<\/p>\n And at 70, Stewart is still working<\/a>. She’s currently a board member at Bojangles, among other places, and the founder of a wellness app.<\/p>\n Related: <\/b>Airbnb’s CEO Says He Personally Manages 40 to 50 Employees as Direct Reports: ‘A Lot of Work’<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Serial entrepreneur and longtime restaurant group chief executive Julia Stewart, 70, is going viral<\/a> this week for making one of “the best moves in leadership<\/a>” when it comes to business deal comebacks.<\/p>\n After seven years as a senior leader at Taco Bell, Julia Stewart joined Applebee’s as president in 1998. She left after three years when she was denied a promotion to CEO, she says, despite being promised and earning the role \u2014 during her tenure, company and franchise sales skyrocketed<\/a>, and so did the stock price, per Fortune<\/a>. Soon after the snub, she joined IHOP as chair and CEO in 2001, per LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n