The restaurant chain Noodles & Co. announced Monday that President and Chief Operating Officer Keith Kinsey is resigning to become CEO of a casual dining restaurant business.
Noodles' didn't identify where Kinsey was going in its news release, but Crain's Chicago Business reported that he was going to join Portillo's Restaurant Group, a seller of hot dogs and other food.
Kinsey has worked at Noodles & Co. since 2005. He's served as president since July 2012 and COO since November 2007. He previously served as chief financial officer from July 2005 to July 2012.
Kinsey's responsibilities will be reallocated to other members of Noodles & Co.'s management.
He will also step down from the company's board, Noodles said.
Noodles & Co., based in Broomfield, Colorado, had 455 locations in 33 states and the District of Columbia as of March 31. It went public on June 28, 2013. At the time it was the best performing IPO since April 2012, with a first-day gain of 104 percent to $36.75. The stock has declined since then, closing at $16.58 on Friday.
The shares added 15 cents to $16.73 in Monday morning trading.
