ORLANDO, FLA. — Todd Burrowes has resigned as concept president of Ruby Tuesday and chief operations officer of Ruby Tuesday, Inc. after two years with the company to rejoin Darden Restaurants, Inc. as president of LongHorn Steakhouse.
With more than 25 years of experience in the restaurant industry, Mr. Burrowes held various leadership roles at LongHorn, including executive vice-president of operations, senior vice-president of operations and regional director of operations. Previously, he was regional director of operations for Corner Bakery Cafe and vice-president of operations for Saltgrass Steakhouse. In his renewed role as president of Longhorn, he will report to Gene Lee, chief executive officer of Darden, and lead all aspects of the restaurant chain’s business, which includes more than 470 restaurants across 40 states. He succeeds Valerie Insignares, who has left the company to pursue other interests.
“We are excited to welcome Todd back to LongHorn Steakhouse,” Mr. Lee said. “Todd is an energetic and passionate leader who truly understands our culture and how to inspire and motivate our team members. His operational expertise coupled with his deep knowledge of the brand makes him the ideal person to lead the LongHorn team.”
At Maryville, Tenn.-based Ruby Tuesday, Brett Patterson will succeed Mr. Burrowes as Ruby Tuesday concept president. With more than 25 years of experience in the industry, Mr. Patterson joined Ruby Tuesday as vice-president of operations in 2013 and became senior vice-president of operations last September. Previously, he held a variety of roles at Darden, including director of operations for Bahama Breeze, vice-president of operations for LongHorn Steakhouse and senior vice-president of operations for Olive Garden. Prior to his time at Darden, Mr. Patterson was managing partner of Carrabba’s Italian Grill and an area director with Steak and Ale. He will report to JJ Buettgen, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Ruby Tuesday.
“Brett has been an invaluable member of our leadership team since joining the company two years ago,” Mr. Buettgen said. “He is a strong operator and has a solid track record of leading and developing teams, enhancing efficiencies, streamlining processes, and improving business results.”