Dive Brief:

• Former Ruby Tuesday CEO Ray Blanchette is taking the lead at TGI Fridays, replacing Aslam Khan. Blanchette leaves the Tennessee-based restaurant chain after just 9 months at its helm, according to Nation's Restaurant News. Khan will remain on as vice chairman of Fridays’ board. 
• Shortly after Blanchette was named CEO of Ruby Tuesday, the company was taken private in December of 2017. Before that, he served as CEO of Au Bon Pain during its sale to Panera owner JAB Holding Co.
• Blanchette called the new position at TGI Fridays a “dream job.” He actually began his career at the fast-casual restaurant chain's former parent company, working as a manager-in-training in the late 1980s at Carlson Restaurants Worldwide, and has held the roles of vice president of USA Franchise Operations, VP of operations for the company's East Division, and executive director of its International Division, serving Europe, Africa and the Middle East.  

Dive Insight:

Khan passes the baton to Blanchette during a time of transition for both TGI Fridays and the larger fast-casual restaurant space, which is struggling to find growth as millennial diners take their dollars to new, trendier eateries.

To combat this trend, Fridays has begun an image revamp. The chain recently announced a plan to overhaul its entire menu by 2019 in an effort to get out of the casual dining slump and differentiate from competitors. Fridays is also experimenting with new value adds to gain customers, such as expanding its appetizer offerings and testing alcohol delivery with startup Lash last year — a move that puts a modern spin on the restaurant's roots as a New York City singles bar. Company leaders are hoping that food and alcohol delivery could grow to be a bright spot for the chain. 

Though Khan boasted extensive restaurant experience — he founded and served as chairman of Falcon Holdings, the multi-brand company that is both Fridays' largest shareholder and the operator of Hardee’s, Carl’s Jr. and Long John Silver’s — Blanchette's stint at Ruby Tuesday could give him valuable insight into Fridays' struggles. 

When Blanchette joined the Maryville, Tennessee-based chain, he was tasked with turning around a six-year sales decline. Interestingly, he said delivery and implementing new technologies were not a focus for Ruby Tuesday's turnaround efforts, a stance that's opposite Fridays' growth strategy. Instead, Ruby Tuesday worked to beef up the in-restaurant experience. 

Blanchette could bring some of this focus on experience to Fridays' bars, which the company has been trying to play up to lure younger consumers back to its restaurants. Whether or not an improved drink menu and bar ambiance will be enough to entice millennials, who are increasingly drawn to cooking at home, meal kit delivery and quick-serve restaurants, is an open question. Regardless, Blanchette's past experience with the brand could help steady the chain as Khan departs, so long as he stays with Fridays long enough to make an impact —unlike his stint at Ruby Tuesday.