New CBI Managing Director A Familiar Face: Michael Briggs Worked For Inn For A Decade

CHATHAM – Stepping back into Chatham Bars Inn July 15 was a true homecoming for Michael Briggs.

Briggs worked at the Shore Road resort from 2006 to 2016, rising from director of the front office to the number two position, spending the last six years of his tenure as resort manager under managing director Paul Zuest.

Now he’s taking over for Zuest, who stepped in as interim managing director in April after the departure of Gary Thulander.

“It’s a dream job,” Briggs said during a recent interview.

“It’s always been very special to me,” he said of the resort, which was built in 1914. “To me it’s personal, like it is to the Cohen family (the inn’s owners). I treat it like I own it.”

As managing director, Briggs is in charge of the overall operation of the 217-room resort, including its farm in Brewster and staff housing. It’s a big job, he acknowledged, but his previous experience at the inn gives him a distinct advantage.

“For me, it was kind of plug and play,” he said.

But a lot has changed in eight years. While there were some familiar faces greeting Briggs when he came by in June to meet the staff, there were many new faces as well. In addition, the inn is now under new management, with Pyramid Global Hospitality taking over in June. Briggs was recruited to return by the company and owner Richard Cohen.

Pyramid will provide inn managers with resources they did not previously have, Briggs said. With 60-plus properties, the company has a wide range of personnel to provide information, advice and feedback to inn managers. “You have a phone-a-friend all of a sudden,” Briggs said, not only for assistance with problems and questions but to bounce ideas off. “It will be far more collaborative,” he added.

Briggs had that assistance at the Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, where he worked for the past eight years. He said left CBI for the Inn by the Sea for professional growth.

“At the time there was a longstanding leader in place [at CBI], and I needed to do my next step, to become a general manager,” he said.

Going along with him to Maine was executive chef Andrew Chadwick, with whom he continued to work for about seven years. Chadwick returned to CBI a few years ago.

“It’s really kind of neat to have this full circle moment,” Briggs said, “to be back here with Andrew and some of the others.”

Don’t expect any major changes under his management, Brigg said. The inn has a master plan that is continually being revised, and it’s too early in his tenure to point to any specific operational aspects he sees need to be addressed.

“Creativity is key, so we always have to look at ways to be on top of trends, reinvent the food and beverage experience,” he said. “But in terms of anything large scale, it’s too early to make assessments.”

Born and raised in Plymouth, Briggs graduated from the Roger A. Saunders School of Hotel and Restaurant Management at Newbury College. He lived in Sandwich during his previous tenure at the inn, and will be looking for a new family home over the next few months. His wife Amy and their two children remain in Maine while his son finishes high school. They will join him in the spring.

He’s certainly glad to be back in Chatham.

“What’s not to like?” he said. “This is truly a special place to live and work and to bring family into. I’m incredibly happy to be here, to be back. It’s a dream come true, professionally and for our family.”