When Pillsbury hired Norm Brinker to run Burger King, he built BK to #2 behind McDonald's and he was gaining on Mickey D. When the Pillsbury board refused to let Brinker buy "Across the Street" and build a chain of upscale burger places across the country as a subsidiary of BK, Brinker resigned much to their dismay. He agreed to stay on the board of Pillsbury, but BK has never been the same.
My two cents, Brinker was the smartest man in the restaurant business we'll ever see. His choice of wives is another story.