Dive Brief:
- BJ’s Restaurants is appointing Todd Wilson as chief financial officer, effective Dec. 15, the company said in a Wednesday press release.
- Wilson served as CFO at Red Robin for the past three years. During his tenure, he “played an integral role in improving restaurant-level margins and achieving improved financial results, while driving effective communication with the investment community,” according to the press release.
- Wilson has roughly two decades of restaurant experience, and held financial positions at Hopdoddy Burger Bar, Jamba and Bloomin’ Brands prior to Red Robin. BJ’s CEO and President Lyle Tick said Wilson’s experience will help the chain improve its financial foundation and work toward its long-term strategic vision.
Dive Insight:
While at Red Robin, Wilson oversaw various financial areas, including accounting, financial planning and analysis, and tax and treasury, according to the press release. From 2018 to 2022, he worked as CFO at Hopdoddy, where he helped improve operating margins, double the unit count through organic growth and acquisitions and completed two debt refinancings. During his two-year tenure as vice president of finance for Jamba, Wilson led finance and investor relations and oversaw a process that resulted in the sale of the company.
“[Wilson] is an accomplished restaurant executive with a proven track record of driving operational excellence, developing high-performing finance teams and effectively managing communications with the investment community,” Tick said in a statement.
BJ’s Restaurants is undergoing a transformation and has already seen some success from operational shifts and menu tweaks. Comparable sales increased by 0.5% during the third quarter, marking its fifth-consecutive quarter of sales and traffic growth, according to an earnings release. The company is boosting its value proposition through its Pizookie Meal Deal platform. BJ’s officially relaunched its pizza menu with improved dough, toppings and ingredients on Thursday.
