The Hire

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. (NASDAQ: RRGB) has named Scott Hudler chief marketing officer, with his transition starting Sept. 8. Hudler succeeds Russ Klein, who has held the interim CMO title since April 2025 and will remain in a consultative role through year-end.

Hudler arrives with more than 25 years across restaurant and retail marketing. Most recently he served as senior vice president and CMO of Whataburger, where he directed brand, digital, and customer engagement strategy for the Texas-rooted burger chain. Earlier stops include senior roles at Torchy's Tacos, DICK'S Sporting Goods, Dunkin' Brands, Mars, and Popeyes — a resume that spans QSR, fast-casual, and casual dining segments.

Scope of the Role

As CMO, Hudler will carry responsibility for Red Robin's brand strategy, advertising, digital marketing, loyalty program, culinary innovation and development, guest insights, and marketing communications. That breadth reflects the growing pressure on casual dining operators to compete not just on food quality but on data-driven guest engagement — territory where Red Robin's Red Robin Royalty® loyalty program, active across nearly 500 system locations in the United States and Canada, will be a central asset.

"Red Robin continues to have a tremendous opportunity to deepen its connection with guests and create even more reasons to visit as it builds on the momentum it has created," Hudler said. "I'm excited to join the team and help strengthen an iconic brand by delivering experiences that inspire loyalty, drive frequency and support long-term growth."

Dave Pace, President and CEO of Red Robin, framed the hire around the chain's ongoing "First Choice" marketing strategy — an initiative focused on positioning Red Robin as the default casual dining destination for burger occasions. Pace credited Klein's "commercial acumen and data-driven focus" for improving marketing effectiveness during the interim period.

Channel Context

The CMO change comes as full-service and casual dining operators face sustained traffic headwinds and intensifying competition from fast-casual burger concepts that have steadily taken share. Loyalty programs and digital ordering have become table stakes; Red Robin's Royalty program and its online ordering infrastructure for to-go, delivery, and catering will likely be early priorities for Hudler's team.

For convenience and foodservice observers, the movement of marketing talent between QSR brands like Whataburger and Dunkin' into casual dining underscores how consumer-engagement disciplines — digital CRM, loyalty mechanics, menu innovation — increasingly flow across channel lines. Red Robin also serves Donatos Pizza at select locations, a co-branding play that signals the chain's appetite for traffic-driving menu diversification.

Klein's consultative retention through December 2026 provides continuity as Hudler builds out his team and finalizes the marketing calendar heading into 2027.

Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.