Outgoing Greene King boss appointed chairman of Cafe Rouge owner

The outgoing boss of pub company Greene King has been tapped to chair the group behind restaurants Cafe Rouge and Bella Italia.

Casual Dining Group (CDG) – which also operates Las Iguanas and La Tasca – has appointed Rooney Anand as chairman, starting this month.

It comes after Mr Anand, who has been chief executive of Greene King for 14 years, announced he was stepping down from the group in November.

He is to leave the pub company at the end of April 2019, though a successor has not yet been confirmed.

Steve Richards, chief executive of CDG, said: “We are delighted to welcome Rooney to CDG as our new chairman.

“Rooney brings with him exceptional sector experience and everyone at CDG is looking forward to working with him.”

The appointment comes at a tough time for the casual dining market, which has seen costs and competition soar in the last few years.

Chains including Prezzo, Byron, Carluccio’s and Gaucho have all closed sites this year as the challenges of the sector bite.

Mr Anand said: “I’m very much looking forward to supporting Steve and the management team, helping them to build on the solid foundations they’ve established at CDG as they continue to grow and develop the business in the fast moving and competitive casual dining market.”

He replaces Martin Robinson, a former chairman of Wagamama and Center Parcs UK who is now chairing Burger King UK under new owners Bridgepoint.