After nearly a year and a half without a CEO, Orlando-based Red Lobster has gone with an internal hire for its top executive.
Horace Dawson, the seafood restaurant chain’s executive vice president and general counsel since 2014, was revealed as CEO on Thursday.
His other previous experience includes working as vice president and division general counsel for Orlando-based Darden Restaurants and vice president of business affairs and general counsel of Hard Rock Cafe International, according to a news release.
“This is an important time for our brand. We are continuing to evolve our menu and guest experience to give our guests more of what they want every time they visit one of our restaurants,” Dawson said in the release. “We have some of the most passionate customers and dedicated employees in the restaurant industry and I am looking forward to working with my teams to address the challenges we face in light of industry headwinds and to execute on our plans and deliver results.”
The CEO post has been vacant since Kelli Valade resigned in April 2022 after just eight months on the job. She had replaced the brand’s longtime leader Kim Lopdrup after he retired in August 2021.
Red Lobster is going through a turnaround, with key shareholder Thai Union reporting that its share of loss from operations in Red Lobster fell by 66% in the second quarter compared with the same time last year.
That improvement followed Thai Union reporting a “share of profit from operations” for Red Lobster in the first quarter of this year.
Paul Kenny, former CEO of Asia’s Minor Food, had been described as a “liaison” between Red Lobster’s leadership and the board after Valade’s departure. On Thursday, Kenny was named chairman of Red Lobster’s board.
“I have served on the Red Lobster Board for several years and strongly believe that Horace is the right leader for this iconic brand at this time in the company’s history and I look forward to continuing a strong and productive working relationship,” Kenny said in the release.
