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Red Lobster has named Bob Baker its chief financial officer, responsible for overseeing the balance sheet of the company that was recently bought out of bankruptcy by its creditors.
Baker has spent 30 years in foodservice, although most recently he was consulting CFO of Amplēo, which provides fractional executive leadership to other companies, and prior to that was CFO of Vallejo, Calif.-based tree-grooming company A Plus Tree, according to his LinkedIn profile.
But he did serve as CFO of sibling quick-service chains Checkers & Rally’s from 2018 to 2022 and before that spent three years as CFO of Benihana. He was president and CFO of Pieology for a year before that after having spent nine years as CFO of Cafe Rio Mexican Grill.
He worked in finance for Yum Brands from 1989 to 2005.
Baker replaces Stephanie Medley, who had been interim CFO since February.
Red Lobster chief executive officer Damola Adamolekun, who was hired by Red Lobster’s new parent company, Fortress Investment Group subsidiary RL Investor Holdings, praised Baker for his experience.
“Bob brings not only deep financial expertise but also a passion for restaurant operations,” Adamolekun said in a statement. “His wealth of experience gained across the restaurant industry, combined with his hands-on approach, will be invaluable as we continue to position Red Lobster for long-term growth. Bob thrives on the teamwork required to build and grow great restaurant companies, and I am excited to welcome him to the Red Lobster family.”
Baker holds a Finance degree from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth Texas, and earned his MBA from the University of Chicago.
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected]
Correction: October 22, 2024
This story has been updated with information on who Bob Baker replaced.