Ex-Porsche CEO Launches Restaurant Chain

Wendelin Wiedeking, who was ousted as CEO of Porsche AG in 2009, has founded an Italian restaurant group in Germany, according to Manager Magazin.

The magazine says his Vialino chain is scheduled to open its first eatery next month in Ludwigshafen. Wiedeking plans to add outlets in Austria and Switzerland. He already owns a stand-alone restaurant in his hometown of Beckum, Germany.

The German media reports that the similarly named Bonn-based Vapiano fast-food Italian chain is threatening to sue Wiedeking.

Wiedeking's 16-year tenure as Porsche chief included turning the flagging brand of the late 1990s into the world's most profitable automaker. But he was fired after the sports car maker's failed attempt to take over Volkswagen AG left it deep in debt. VW later acquired Porsche.