Red Robin names COO, CFO departs

Group 1 - Red Robin's executive team has experienced significant changes, including the departure of CEO G.J. Hart and the hiring of Humera Kassem as chief people officer [3][8] - Jesse Griffith has been promoted to chief operations officer, bringing over two decades of restaurant experience, including a successful tenure at Torchy's Tacos [4][8] - The company is implementing its First Choice plan, aimed at improving traffic, fixing restaurants, and reducing expenses, with plans to refranchise up to 15% of company-owned stores and potentially close up to 70 underperforming units over the next five years [5][8] Group 2 - Red Robin's third-quarter results exceeded management expectations, with comparable sales projected to decline by 1.2%, an improvement from a 3.2% decline in the second quarter [6]