O'Charley's Inc. said Friday its president and chief executive Jeffrey D. Warne has resigned, a year after he was promoted to those roles.
The casual-dining company, which is parent to the O'Charley's, Ninety Nine Restaurant and Stoney River Legendary Steaks brands, said chairman Phil Hickey would serve as interim CEO until a permanent replacement is found.
Warne was named president and CEO of O'Charley's Inc. last June, replacing Gregory Burns, who retired in early 2009 after 25 years with the company. Before his promotion, Warne had served as brand president of the O'Charley's chain since 2006.
“We are appreciative of Mr. Warne’s service to O’Charley’s as its chief executive and, prior to that, as head of our O’Charley’s concept,” Hickey said in a statement. “We wish him all the best in the future.”
Warne's resignation comes as the company is struggling to reverse negative sales trends at its three brands. In May, O'Charley's reported that first-quarter same-store sales were down 6.7 percent at its namesake brand, 6.0 percent at Ninety Nine Restaurant and 8.3 percent at Stoney River. Warne said at the time that he was disappointed with the company's performance in the quarter, which he noted was "below several of our peers."
Interim chief executive Hickey is the former CEO of Rare Hospitality International Inc., parent of the LongHorn Steakhouse and The Capital Grille chains, which was sold in 2007 to Darden Restaurants Inc.
Nashville, Tenn.-based O'Charley's operates or franchises 244 namesake restaurants, 113 Ninety Nine Restaurants and 11 Stoney River locations.
Contact Elissa Elan at [email protected].
