Red Robin hires long-time Bloomin’ exec as CFO

Mark Graff, a former Bloomin’ exec, will oversee the burger brand’s finances as it undergoes its First Choice turnaround plan.

Graff will succeed Chris Meyer, who served as interim CFO since December, on May 4, according to a Wednesday press release. Meyer, in turn, held the interim post following the departure of Todd Wilson, who worked as CEO under GJ Hart during Red Robin’s North Star turnaround plan.

Graff worked in a variety of leadership roles at Bloomin’ over more than 13 years, according to his LinkedIn profile.

As president of Bloomin’s Bonefish Grill brand and fine dining segment, Graff oversaw “a $900M business across more than 220 restaurants,” per the press release, preparing him for the scale and complexity of Red Robin’s roughly 500 stores.

He also held roles in “finance, strategy and investor relations, as well as leading global business development, capital planning and merger & acquisition initiatives.”

Graff’s appointment closes out a roughly five-month search for a CFO candidate to lead the financial operations at the burger brand, which has spent the last several years undertaking a series of turnaround initiatives, starting with the North Star plan.

In June, Red Robin superseded the North Start plan with its First Choice initiative, a strategy that hinges on partial refranchising of its storebase and cost reductions.

According to the brand’s most recent 10-K, the First Choice plan also includes significant investments in marketing, new technology, guest-facing restaurant design elements and addressing deferred maintenance needs.