Innovation in its food offerings and “breakthrough” communications are among the goals that Captain D’s new chief marketing officer plans to bring to the table.
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A.-based Captain D’s, which operates more than 530 seafood restaurants in the United States, recently hired Chris Keuhn as its new chief marketing officer, replacing Bob Kraut. Kraut, who started at Captain D’s in early 2017, “is no longer with the company, but Captain D's wishes him well on his future endeavors,” a spokesperson told SeafoodSource.
Prior to joining Captain D’s, Kuehn served as the chief marketing officer at Golden Corral for 10 years. He also has 30 years of industry experience leading the marketing activities of several national foodservice brands, and specializes in strategic growth plans that drive innovation and increase sales.
“Throughout his distinguished career, Chris has established a proven track record of success and achieved exceptional growth results for the various restaurant brands he’s worked with,” Captain D's President and CEO Phil Greifeld said in a press release.
In his new role, Kuehn will be responsible for developing and implementing Captain D’s marketing strategies to further drive brand awareness and support the company’s ongoing expansion throughout the country.
“My goal is to build on the impressive results the team has delivered the last five years,” Kuehn told SeafoodSource.
The restaurant chain’s executive team will focus on product news and innovation “supported by breakthrough communications – exceptional creative delivered via traditional, digital, mobile and social media,” Kuehn added. “We are going to reach our Captain D’s fans wherever and whenever they want D’s.”
While Captain D’s is operating in a competitive restaurant environment that includes big-name enterprises such as Long John Silver’s, Keuhn believes Captain D’s is a leader in its segment and “is unique and highly differentiated.
“Captain D’s position in the marketplace is a major strength and, between store growth in new markets, I'm looking to amplify the brand’s strong position in all consumer touchpoints,” he said.
Captain D’s has realized more than five consecutive years of same store sales increases and three successive years of record high system-wide average unit volume.
