Leigh Platte
NATHANS FAMOUSAbout Leigh Platte
Leigh Platte is Senior Vice President, Food Service at Nathan’s Famous, Inc. (NATH). He joined Nathan’s in June 2014 as VP of Food Service and was promoted in September 2018; he is 66 and holds a B.S. in Business Management and Marketing from Ithaca College . Company-level performance during his tenure has shown rising revenues and EBITDA over FY2023–FY2025 (see table below; EBITDA values marked with an asterisk are from S&P Global) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role(s) | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| ConAgra Foods | Director of Marketing, Hebrew National; VP Sales & Marketing, Hebrew National Foodservice; Director Sales, Emerging Chain Group | 1999–2014 | Oversaw retail and foodservice businesses, national accounts, distributors, alliances, sports/entertainment sponsorships, customer service; responsibilities spanned broader ConAgra portfolio |
External Roles
- No external board or public company directorships disclosed in the proxy biography .
Fixed Compensation
Summary Compensation (historical NEO disclosure when Platte was a Named Executive):
| Metric | FY2016 | FY2017 | FY2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salary ($) | 195,000 | 212,538 | 215,000 |
| Bonus ($) | 80,000 | — | — |
| All Other Compensation ($) | 28,695 | 38,839 | 30,150 |
| Total ($) | 303,695 | 363,209 | 333,671 |
Perquisites detail:
| Perquisite | FY2016 ($) | FY2017 ($) |
|---|---|---|
| Company-matched 401(k) | 1,153 | 1,988 |
| Insurance premiums (life, medical, dental, LTD, deductibles) | 16,645 | 24,695 |
| Mobile telephone | 921 | 1,153 |
| Auto allowance/expense reimbursement | 9,975 | 11,003 |
| Total All Other Compensation | 28,695 | 38,839 |
Performance Compensation
Cash incentives:
| Component | FY2016 | FY2017 | FY2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonus ($) | 80,000 | — | — |
| Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation ($) | — | 111,832 | 88,521 |
| Notes | — | Performance-based awards under Management Incentive Plan (metrics not specified in retrieved sections) | Performance-based awards under Management Incentive Plan (metrics not specified in retrieved sections) |
Equity vesting event:
| Vesting Date | Instrument | Units Vested | Shares Withheld for Taxes | Withholding Price ($/sh) | Shares Beneficially Owned After |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-09-12 | Restricted Stock | 333 | 113 | 62.83 | 863 |
Equity awards outstanding (historical):
- No outstanding option or stock awards reported for Platte at FY2016 and FY2017 year-end in the “Outstanding Equity Awards” tables .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
Ownership timeline:
| Filing | Event/Date | Shares Beneficially Owned | Ownership Form |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form 3 | Initial statement, 2016-07-01 (filed 2016-07-11) | 200 | Direct |
| Form 4 | RSU vesting and tax withholding, 2021-09-12 (filed 2021-09-14) | 863 (post-transaction) | Direct |
Alignment policies:
- Hedging by officers and employees (including Platte) is prohibited under the company’s insider trading policy .
- No pledging policy or pledged-share disclosures for Platte were found in the retrieved sections; beneficial ownership tables in the 2025 proxy primarily cover directors and large holders .
Employment Terms
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Start Date | Joined Nathan’s as VP, Food Service in June 2014 |
| Promotion | Promoted to Senior Vice President in September 2018 |
| Current Status | Officer, not a Named Executive Officer (NEO) in 2025 |
| Employment Agreement, Severance, CIC | Proxy excerpts retrieved detail severance/CIC for CEO and Executive Chairman; no Platte-specific contract terms surfaced in those sections |
Company Performance During Tenure
| Metric | FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues ($) | 130,785,000 | 138,610,000 | 148,182,000 |
| EBITDA ($) | 35,580,000* | 33,641,000* | 37,454,000* |
*Values retrieved from S&P Global.
Investment Implications
- Incentives mix: Platte’s compensation has historically leaned toward base salary plus cash incentives, with modest equity exposure; RSU vesting in 2021 involved 333 shares and resulted in 863 shares held post-transaction, indicating limited insider selling pressure and small “skin-in-the-game” vs. larger NEO holdings .
- Retention risk: Tenure since 2014 and elevation to SVP in 2018 suggest organizational reliance; lack of disclosed individual severance/CIC terms (in retrieved sections) implies standard officer arrangements rather than bespoke protections .
- Alignment controls: Company prohibits hedging, which mitigates misalignment risk from derivative strategies; no pledging disclosures for Platte were found in retrieved sections .
- Execution lens: As SVP Food Service with prior ConAgra experience across national accounts and distribution, his role is operationally tied to revenue and channel execution; company revenues rose FY2023–FY2025, aligning with foodservice/channel growth levers, though no Platte-specific performance metrics or incentive weightings were disclosed in the retrieved proxy sections .