Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. filed an 8-K on September 21, 2026, disclosing the appointment of Amanda Busby as Chief Operations Officer and Derek Sample as Chief Accounting Officer, both effective August 11, 2026, along with the terms of their employment agreements and equity grants.

Key Highlights

  • New COO: Amanda Busby, age 53, was appointed Chief Operations Officer effective August 11, 2026, with an annualized base salary of $450,000 and a target annual bonus of 70% of her salary.
  • Busby equity grant: On August 31, 2026, Ms. Busby received 72,464 RSUs, a stock option to purchase 74,294 shares at $8.97 per share, and PSUs representing up to 55,741 shares of common stock.
  • New Chief Accounting Officer: Derek Sample, age 40, was appointed Chief Accounting Officer on August 11, 2026, and designated principal accounting officer on August 25, 2026, with an annualized base salary of $315,000 and a target annual bonus of 50% of his salary.
  • Sample equity grant: On August 31, 2026, Mr. Sample received 39,019 RSUs, a stock option to purchase 52,006 shares at $8.97 per share, and PSUs representing up to 39,019 shares of common stock.
  • Broader leadership changes: The company also announced the appointments of Jeremy Tucker as Chief Marketing Officer, Kevin Fish as Chief Technology and Digital Officer, Rachel Morgan as Chief Legal and Administrative Officer and Corporate Secretary, and Aldo Rosales as Chief Strategy and Revenue Management Officer.

Dave & Buster's Discloses Compensation Terms for Busby and Sample Appointments

According to the filing, Amanda Busby brings more than 30 years of experience across the restaurant, hospitality, and entertainment industries. Most recently, she served as President of Operational Excellence, Commercial, Culinary and Marketing of SSP America, Inc. from July 2025 to August 2026, and as Chief Operating Officer of SSP America from January 2022 to July 2025, where she led operations for a business consisting of more than 450 restaurants across nearly 60 airports throughout North America. Prior to SSP America, Ms. Busby spent 19 years with Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc., ultimately serving as Vice President of Operations.

The filing discloses that Ms. Busby's employment agreement provides for severance upon a qualifying termination, including continued base salary payments for 12 months, any unpaid bonus for a completed fiscal year based on actual performance, a pro-rata bonus for the fiscal year of termination based on actual performance, and continued monthly medical premium payments for 12 months. The agreement also includes a non-competition covenant extending up to one year following termination and a non-solicitation covenant extending up to two years following termination. The stock option granted to Ms. Busby will become earned if the company's stock price reaches specified multiples of the $8.97 exercise price by August 31, 2029, and will vest annually in three substantially equal installments thereafter.

Derek Sample, according to the filing, brings more than 20 years of finance and accounting leadership experience. He most recently served as Vice President of Business Transformation of Six Flags Entertainment Corporation from July 2024 to July 2026, and previously as Chief Accounting Officer of Six Flags prior to its merger with Cedar Fair, L.P., from September 2022 to July 2024. He also served as Corporate Controller for PHI Aviation, LLC, and began his career with KPMG LLP. Mr. Sample's employment agreement carries the same severance structure and restrictive covenant terms as Ms. Busby's, according to the filing. The company noted that NASDAQ:PLAY common stock has a par value of $0.01 per share.

What Was Disclosed

Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. reported two officer appointments, their compensation terms and equity grants, and a broader set of executive leadership changes announced via a press release dated August 24, 2026, all pursuant to Item 5.02 and Item 8.01 of the 8-K.