STAMFORD Conn. Centerplate Inc., the embattled sports and entertainment contract feeder, said Thursday that former IHOP president Desmond Hague has replaced Janet L. Steinmayer as the on-site company’s president and chief executive.
Glendale, Calif.-based IHOP said Wednesday that Hague was resigning at month’s end after only seven months on the job
Hague had been president of corporate perishables for Safeway Inc., before replacing Julia Stewart as president of IHOP in July 2008. At Safeway, he oversaw the produce, floral, meat, seafood, foodservice, deli and bakery departments for the 1,775-unit grocer, as well as the 1,000 licensed Starbucks locations in stores.
Before joining Safeway, Hague was chairman and chief executive of Hot Stuff Foods, formerly Orion Food Systems, which provided food services to convenience stores, and, before that, he was vice president of food retail for 7-Eleven Inc. He also has worked for Pizza Hut and Whitbread PLC.
Steinmayer, who joined Centerplate as general counsel in 1993, subsequently served as its chief operating officer before being named chief executive in 2006.
Centerplate was acquired in September by private-equity firm Kohlberg & Co. LLC in a deal that had been valued between $210 million and $223 million. The deal closed last month.
In 2008, Centerplate saw a reversal of its fortunes, including the loss of the foodservice contract at Yankee Stadium, which it had held for 40 years, and the loss of contracts with Major League Baseball’s Minnesota Twins and Washington Nationals teams. The Yankees contract made up approximately 10 percent of the company’s total revenues.
According to data compiled for Nation’s Restaurant News’ latest Top 200 company census, Centerplate’s estimated annual U.S. foodservice sales totaled about $709.6 million in fiscal year 2007. Its total sales for the year were $740.7 million, an 8.8-percent increase from the year earlier.
The company, which provides food and concession services at more than 130 sports facilities, convention centers and entertainment venues, posted a loss of $1.9 million in fiscal 2007, compared with a profit of $3.5 million a year earlier.
Contact Elissa Elan at [email protected].
