Red Robin appoints CFO, chief legal officer

Dive Brief:

Red Robin has hired Todd Wilson as chief financial officer. Wilson will join the company on Nov. 7, following the retirement of Lynn Schweinfurth, the company announced Monday.
The casual chain also announced the appointment of a chief legal officer and the departure of the company’s chief information officer and chief concept officer.
These leadership changes come just months after G.J. Hart joined the company as its CEO and president.

Dive Insight:

Wilson will bring extensive experience in the restaurant sector to his new position at Red Robin. He most recently held the role of CFO at Hopdoddy Burger Bar and Hibar Hospitality in Austin, Texas, between 2018 to 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 pandemic-induced obstacles and established a new credit facility, Hart said in the press release. The company is in a stronger position today than it was during the pandemic, when comparable restaurant revenue fell 41.4% in Q2 2020. The company reported strong comparable restaurant revenue during the second quarter of 2022, with an increase of 6.7% and 4.1% compared to Q2 2021 and Q2 2019, respectively.

Sarah Mussetter is rejoining the company Dec. 5 as chief legal officer, while Jeff Hoban will continue to serve as interim chief legal officer until she begins her position. Mussetter, who is replacing Michael Kaplan, previously worked at Red Robin from 2011 to 2021, most recently in the position of VP, deputy general council and assistant corporate secretary. In the last year, she worked at Skillsoft as SVP, deputy general counsel and assistant corporate secretary.

Darla Morse, EVP and chief information officer, and Johnathan Muhtar, EVP and chief concept officer, are also leaving the company to pursue other career interests, according to the press 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 the IT organization and Amy Woolen, VP of marketing and brand management, will lead marketing until a new CIO and CMO, respectively, are hired.