ORLANDO Fla. After pulling the plug on its Smokey Bones Barbecue and Grill chain, Darden Restaurants Inc. has reassigned Smokey president JJ Buettgen to the new post of senior vice president of business development.
Darden, whose other casual-dining brands include Red Lobster and Olive Garden, said in early May that it was closing or selling all 127 of its Smokey Bones units. The company said Buettgen would now be responsible for looking at growth opportunities, both through acquisition and extensions of existing brands. Management has said several times that it could buy a casual-dining brand with national expansion potential, and perhaps even one that franchises.
Clarence Otis, Darden's chairman and chief executive, said, "As we continue to evaluate emerging casual-dining concepts for long-term potential, JJ's background in consumer insights and brand management are critical business development skills that will help Darden meet its growth goals."
Buettgen held various marketing posts with Darden's former parent, General Mills Corp., from 1989 through 1994. He joined Olive Garden in 1994 as director of marketing.
Buettgen left to join video-retailer Hollywood Entertainment Group as senior vice president of marketing in 1998 and went to Disneyland Resorts as senior vice president of marketing and sales from 1999 to 2002, helping to launch Disney's California Adventure theme park. He was president of Big Bowl Asian Kitchen, a casual-dining company owned by Brinker International, and senior vice president of marketing and brand development for Brinker from 2002 to 2004. Brinker has franchised several of its brands on a limited basis.
In 2004, Buettgen returned to Darden as president of Smokey Bones.
Darden also owns and operates Bahama Breeze and Seasons 52 restaurants
