Gene Giannotta
Herman Cain
Herman Cain made a name for himself in 2012 as a Republican presidential candidate and Tea Party favorite. But three decades earlier, he was busy rising to prominence as a restaurant executive with Pillsbury. His success with Burger King (then a Pillsbury subsidiary) led to an appointment as CEO of Godfather Pizza. After turning the struggling chain around, he bought it and remained at the helm until 1996. He then became the dining industry’s chief lobbyist in Washington, D.C. as CEO of the National Restaurant Association. Cain gained some notoriety in 2012 for his “9-9-9” tax plan, but Mitt Romney went on to capture Republican primary voters’ support in 2012.
