GOLDEN, COLO. — Frances Allen has been named chief executive officer of Boston Market, a fast-casual restaurant chain with more than 450 U.S. locations. She succeeds George Michel, who has retired after leading the company for nearly eight years.

“Under George’s leadership, Boston Market launched its ‘Quality Guarantee,’ which acts as a continued commitment to all guests that Boston Market will serve all-natural and fresh, never frozen, gluten-free, whole chicken with no added hormones, steroids, antibiotics or MSG,” Ms. Allen said. “In addition, we have become the first national chicken-specialty chain to reach the goal of serving our customers 100% antibiotic-free rotisserie chicken. These commitments to transparency, ethical business practices and quality are critical to building trust and brand loyalty with today’s consumer. We will build on the strong legacy that Boston Market has established since the 1990s to further improve our relevance with today’s busy families.”

Ms. Allen joins Boston Market from Jack in the Box, where she was president since October 2014. Before that, she spent four years as executive vice-president and chief brand officer for Denny’s, and prior to her time at Denny’s, she was chief marketing officer for Dunkin’ Donuts USA. Earlier in her career, Ms. Allen held leadership roles with PepsiCo, Inc. and Frito-Lay, including vice-president of marketing and innovation.

“I am delighted to join the Boston Market team and lead this great company into its next chapter of strategic growth, brand building and culinary innovation,” Ms. Allen said. “No other restaurant concept is more responsible for the rising popularity of rotisserie cooking, and we see significant runway for further building the Boston Market brand. I am proud to lead a team whose top priority is serving high-quality, delicious, healthy and affordable home-style rotisserie meals to our guests.”