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Macaroni Grill shakes up leadership

Macaroni Grill shakes up leadership

Romano’s Macaroni Grill said Thursday it has named industry veteran Norman Abdallah chief executive, replacing Brad Blum, who has left the company.

The Dallas-based, 200-unit casual-dining chain also announced the hiring of Carey Carrington as chief financial officer, and said chief operating officer Bob Mock is no longer with the company.

Macaroni Grill provided no details about the departure of Blum in its statement, and did not return a request for comment by press time.

Blum was hired in December 2008 after Brinker International Inc. sold the chain to private-equity firm Golden Gate Capital. During his tenure as CEO, Blum led a chain-wide menu overhaul that included new items and reformulated recipes containing fewer calories and less saturated fat and sodium.

Abdallah most recently served as president and chief executive at Seattle-based multiconcept operator Restaurants Unlimited Inc. He stepped down from that role earlier this month.

Abdallah also has served as chief executive at Austin, Texas-based Fired Up Inc., the parent company of the Carino's Italian casual-dining chain. Macaroni Grill's new CFO Carrington also is a veteran of Fired Up, where he once served as president and chief financial officer. Both Abdallah and Carrington left Fired Up in 2008 to join Amer International, an Egyptian-based hospitality company and Carino's licensee.

Contact Molly Gise at [email protected].
 

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