Red Robin appoints CFO, chief legal officer | Media Pyro

Short Dive:

• Red Robin has hired Todd Wilson as chief financial officer. Wilson will join the company on November 7, following the retirement of Lynn Schweinfurth, the company announced on Monday.
• The fledgling chain also announced the appointment of a chief legal officer and the departure of the company’s chief communications officer and chief concept officer.
• These leadership changes come just months later GJ Hart joined the company as CEO and president.

Dive Insights:

Wilson brings extensive experience in the restaurant sector to his new position at Red Robin. He most recently served as CFO at Hopdoddy Burger Bar and Hibar Hospitality in Austin, Texas, between 2018 and 2022. He has also worked at Jamba Juice, as well as Carrabba’s Italian Grill and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse.

During Schweinfurth’s tenure, the company hired a new CEO, faced obstacles caused by the pandemic and established a new credit facility, Hart said in a press release. The company is in a stronger position today than it was during the pandemic, when restaurant profits fell by 41.4% in Q2 2020. The company reported strong results of the restaurant in the second quarter of 2022, with an increase of 6.7% and 4.1% respectively. to Q2 2021 and Q2 2019, respectively.

Sarah Mussetter is rejoining the company on December 5 as chief legal officer, and Jeff Hoban will continue as chief legal officer until he begins his tenure. Mussetter, who succeeds Michael Kaplan, previously served at Red Robin from 2011 to 2021, most recently as VP, senior vice president and assistant corporate secretary. Last year, he worked at Skillsoft as SVP, deputy general counsel and assistant corporate secretary.

Darla Morse, EVP and chief communications officer, and Johnathan Muhtar, EVP and chief strategy officer, are also leaving the company to pursue other career interests, according to the release. Morse joined the company in March 2021, while Muhtar has been with Red Robin since December 2015, according to his LinkedIn profile. Deena DePhillips, VP Technology, will lead IT management and Amy Woolen, VP of marketing and brand management, will lead marketing until the hiring of a new CIO and CMO.