Red Robin Gourmet Burgers has named Meghan Spuler as its new chief people officer, effective Dec. 11. According to the company, Spuler’s appointment completes the company’s leadership team hires that began when CEO G.J. Hart joined in July 2022.
In May, the company appointed Kevin Mayer to chief marketing officer and Jason Rusk to chief business development officer. At that time, Red Robin also named Mark Simpson the interim chief people officer and he will remain in an advisory capacity until Spuler’s transition is complete.
Most recently, Spuler served as chief people officer of Eckerd Connects, a national nonprofit organization that has connected more than 240,000 children, young adults and families to workforce and supportive services, where she was responsible for operationalizing key culture and staffing programs. Previously, she spent five years with Bloomin’ Brands Inc. focused on leadership development, talent acquisition, inclusion and diversity and building best-in-class human resources strategies, and at Pall Aeropower, a subsidiary of Danaher Corporation, and Campbell Soup Company prior. She holds a master of human resource development degree from Villanova University and a bachelor of science degree in communications from Oral Roberts University.
At Red Robin, Spuler will be responsible for overseeing the continued rollout and implementation of the company’s market and managing partner compensation program, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, benefits and staffing, and People Team administration in support of Red Robin’s 22,400 Field and Restaurant Support Center Team Members.
“Meghan’s expertise and proven reputation for championing cultures of inclusivity, high performance and Operations partnership will bring tremendous value to Red Robin as we continue to transform our brand for the future,” Hart said in a statement. “With our permanent chief people officer role now in place, we’ve completed our industry-best leadership team that’s committed to Red Robin’s North Star plan, delivering exceptional team member, guest and shareholder value and building a healthy, sustainable brand for decades to come.”
Red Robin’s “North Star” growth plan was put into place in January and includes transforming to an operations-focused company, elevating the guest experience, removing costs and complexity, optimizing guest engagement, and driving growth in comp restaurant revenue and unit-level profitability.
Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]
