Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc. is naming Guy Constant, chief financial officer, to head the chain’s operations, succeeding Carin Stutz in the position, the company said Monday.
The Greenwood Village, Colo.-based casual-dining brand said Constant will move into the new COO role when a new CFO is hired, and Denny Marie Post, Red Robin CEO, will assume responsibility for operations in the interim. The company said it has begun a CFO search as part of Constant’s transition.
Stutz “was terminated without cause,” Red Robin said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. She had served as COO since April 2016.
Red Robin has seen same-stores sales and traffic decline as it wrestles with a delivery strategy. For the second quarter ended July 15, same-store sales declined 2.6 percent and guest traffic was off 0.7 percent compared to the same period last year.
Red Robin swung to a loss in the quarter of $1.9 million, or 14 cents a share, from a profit of $6.9 million, or 53 cents a share, in the same period last year. Revenues slipped 0.6 percent to $315.4 million, from $317.3 million in the same quarter last year.
“As we look ahead to what Red Robin needs in operations leadership for the next stage of our business, we look forward to leveraging the considerable skills and experience of Guy Constant,” said Post in a statement. “He is the perfect person to lead our operations team forward and to partner with me as we pivot to a new future.”
Post said that in addition to company and franchise operations, Constant will continue to lead supply chain, facilities and development after the first of the year.
“Red Robin is committed to recapturing our momentum and to regaining our operational edge in this increasingly complex and competitive environment,” Post said. “Fortifying our leadership team will help us address current and future challenges, which is key to a financially sustainable future.”
As of July 15, Red Robin had 572 restaurants, with 484 company-owned and 88 franchised units.
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