Amanda Busby was named Chief Operations Officer of Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. As of November 6, 2026, Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. has reported 3 leadership change filings to the SEC under Item 5.02 of Form 8-K, from May 1, 2026 to September 21, 2026, naming 3 appointments and 1 departure (Form 8-K, September 21, 2026).
Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. named a new Chief Operations Officer on Sep 21. 30 companies changed executives this week.
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Key facts
- · In / out: In · Person: Amanda Busby · Role: Chief Operations Officer · 8-K, 2026-09-21
- · In / out: Out · Person: Tarun Lal · Role: Chief Executive Officer · Effective: 2026-08-03 · 8-K, 2026-08-04
- · In / out: In · Person: Charles H. Protell · Effective: 2026-04-27 · 8-K, 2026-05-01
Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. reported changes in 3 filings among its directors and officers to the SEC on Form 8-K, Item 5.02, from 2026-05-01 to 2026-09-21. They name 4 people, with 3 appointments and 1 departure. Every row below is cited to the filing it comes from, and this page adds each new change as Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. files it.
Also on the record for Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.
| Date | Record | Figure | Our page | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 27, 2026 | Stake report, Schedule 13G, by BlackRock Portfolio Management LLC | 5.3% of the class | 5%+ stakes | Source |
| August 13, 2026 | Stake report, Schedule 13G, by Arrowstreet Capital, Limited Partnership | 5.2% of the class | 5%+ stakes | Source |
| August 13, 2026 | Stake report, Schedule 13G, by THE GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP, INC. | 6.5% of the class | 5%+ stakes | Source |
| July 2, 2026 | Stake report, Schedule 13G/A, by EMINENCE CAPITAL, LP | — | 5%+ stakes | Source |
| May 8, 2026 | Stake report, Schedule 13G/A, by Patient Capital Management, LLC | 3.32% of the class | 5%+ stakes | Source |
| April 7, 2026 | Stake report, Schedule 13G/A, by BlackRock, Inc. | 6% of the class | 5%+ stakes | Source |
| March 26, 2026 | Stake report, Schedule 13G/A, by The Vanguard Group | — | 5%+ stakes | Source |
| January 30, 2026 | Stake report, Schedule 13G/A, by The Vanguard Group | 7.07% of the class | 5%+ stakes | Source |
| July 29, 2025 | Stake report, Schedule 13G/A, by The Vanguard Group | 8.81% of the class | 5%+ stakes | Source |
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More on Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. and the records around it.
Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. elsewhere on the record
- 5%+ stake filings Oct 2026
- Who owns it
Companies that share a holder
- Patient Capital Management, LLC also filed stake reports on 2 other companies: Precigen, Inc. (Feb 2026), Canada Goose Holdings Inc. (Aug 2025)
- Arrowstreet Capital, Limited Partnership also filed stake reports on 4 other companies: Dropbox Inc (May 2026), Lovesac Co (Feb 2026)
- EMINENCE CAPITAL, LP also filed stake reports on 9 other companies: Camping World Holdings, Inc. (Jul 2026), Gitlab Inc. (May 2026), ASBURY AUTOMOTIVE GROUP INC (Nov 2025)
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Timeline
| Filed | In / out | Person | Role | Effective | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-21 | In | Chief Operations Officer | 8-K, 2026-09-21 | ||
| 2026-08-04 | Out | Chief Executive Officer | 2026-08-03 | 8-K, 2026-08-04 | |
| 2026-08-04 | In | Chief Executive Officer | 8-K, 2026-08-04 | ||
| 2026-05-01 | In | 2026-04-27 | 8-K, 2026-05-01 |
Who leads Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc., as last reported?
For each role that changed in the filings below, the most recent change reported. A role that did not change in these filings is not listed.
- Chief Operations Officer: Amanda Busby, appointed (filed 2026-09-21).
- Chief Executive Officer: Darin Harper, appointed (filed 2026-08-04).
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Find candidates like Chief Operations Officer at Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.Every change, in the filing's words
Appointed: Amanda Busby, Chief Operations Officer
On August 11, 2026, the Board of Directors (the "Board") of Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (the "Company") appointed Amanda Busby as Chief Operations Officer.
- Ms. Busby, age 53, brings more than 30 years of leadership experience across the restaurant, hospitality and entertainment industries.
- Prior to joining the Company, Ms. Busby served as President of Operational Excellence, Commercial, Culinary and Marketing of SSP America, Inc. ("SSP America") from July of 2025 to August of 2026 and Chief Operating Officer of SSP America from January of 2022 to July of 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.
- Ms. Busby has also agreed to a non-competition covenant that extends for up to one year following termination and a non-solicitation covenant that extends for up to two years following termination.
- Mr. Sample, age 40, brings more than 20 years of finance and accounting leadership experience across the leisure and hospitality, aviation, energy and professional services industries.
- Most recently, he served as Vice President of Business Transformation of Six Flags Entertainment Corporation ("Six Flags") from July of 2024 to July of 2026.
- Prior to that role, Mr. Sample served as Chief Accounting Officer of Six Flags prior to the merger of Six Flags and Cedar Fair, L.P., from September of 2022 to July of 2024.
Departing: Tarun Lal, Chief Executive Officer, effective 2026-08-03
Chief Executive Officer Transition On August 3, 2026, Tarun Lal informed the Board of Directors of the Company (the "Board") of his decision to retire as Chief Executive Officer of the Company, effective August 3, 2026 (the "CEO Transition Date") in order to spend more time with his family in India.
Appointed: Darin Harper, Chief Executive Officer
Effective as of the CEO Transition Date, the Board appointed Darin Harper, the Company's Chief Financial Officer, to succeed Mr. Lal as Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the Board.
- Mr. Lal will work closely with Mr. Harper on the transition and continue to serve as an advisor to the Company through January 31, 2028 or such earlier date as Mr. Lal and the Company may determine (such period, the "Consulting Period").
- Mr. Harper, age 52, joined Dave & Buster's as Chief Financial Officer in June 2024 with nearly 30 years of finance experience in both the public and private sectors working in multi-unit consumer, retail, and entertainment brands.
- Most recently, he was CFO of World Choice Investments, LLC, a leading operator of family entertainment attractions.
- Mr. Harper was previously EVP, Chief Financial Officer for Main Event Entertainment, Inc. from March 2017 through its acquisition by Dave & Buster's in June 2022.
- Contemporaneously with this role, he also served as Group CFO for Main Event's parent company, Ardent Leisure (ASX: CEH), based in Sydney, Australia, from June 2018 through June 2022.
- Prior to Main Event, he was a senior financial executive at other consumer businesses after beginning his career with PricewaterhouseCoopers.
- Mr. Harper has also agreed to a non-competition and non-solicitation covenant that extends for up to two years following termination of employment.
- This achievement must occur within three years of the Harper Grant Date.
Appointed: Charles H. Protell, effective 2026-04-27
On April 27, 2026, the Board of Directors ("Board") of Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (the "Company") appointed Charles H. Protell, 51, to the Board and to the Audit Committee of the Board, in each case effective April 27, 2026.
- Additionally, with Mr. Protell's appointment to the Audit Committee, members of such Committee are now Atish Shah (Chair), Nathaniel J. Lipman, Allen R. Weiss, and Charles Protell.
- Charles H. Protell is currently the President and Chief Financial Officer of Golden Entertainment, Inc. Mr. Protell joined Golden as Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Financial Officer in November 2016 and was promoted to President in August 2019.
- He currently serves on Golden's compliance committee and previously also served as Golden's Treasurer.
- Prior to joining Golden, Mr. Protell served as managing director at Macquarie Capital's investment banking group since May 2011, and as co-founder and a managing director at REGAL Capital Advisors from January 2009 until its acquisition by Macquarie Capital in May 2011.
- Prior to co-founding REGAL Capital Advisors, Mr. Protell held various investment banking roles at Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and CIBC World Markets.
- Mr. Protell received a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce from the University of Virginia.
- Mr. Protell's compensation for his service as non-employee director will be consistent with that of the Company's other non-employee directors.
- Mr. Shah is the Chair of the Audit Committee of the Board and is also member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.
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Where this comes from
A public company must file a current report on Form 8-K with the SEC within four business days when a director leaves or is elected, or when its chief executive, chief financial, chief accounting or chief operating officer, or another named executive, departs or is appointed. That disclosure goes under Item 5.02 of the report.
Every change on this page is taken from one of those filings and quoted in the company's own words, with a link to the filing, so it can be checked at the source. Where a filing names the person, the role and the date a change takes effect, they are shown beside the quote. Where it does not, the quote stands on its own. A filing states what changed; it rarely states why, and neither does this page.