Please join us in congratulating Derek Chiong on his promotion to Learning & Development Manager for Doherty Applebee’s in Florida and Georgia.

Derek joined the Applebee’s brand in 2010 as a server and a bartender in Hialeah then came to Doherty through the 2015 acquisition of the Miami and Ft Lauderdale markets. He has had several years of experience working with MITs both as an hourly team member and a Supervisor. With an obvious passion for learning and development, he has been a go-to facilitator for rolling out new initiatives over the years, like meat cutter training, Applebees University, and Neighborhood Expert Trainer Camps across multiple locations in his district. Derek has travelled the world as an Apple Elite corporate trainer and Team Lead, supporting 12 new restaurant openings in locations like Hawaii, the Philippines, and our own West Palm Beach. Derek has also toured with the world-renowned Cirque Du Soleil on their North American tour of Alegria where he was the Team Lead and coordinated everything from customer satisfaction to food and beverage for the VIP department. Derek has supported multiple locations in the market as a Supervisor, always focusing on the quality and consistency of our training systems.