Prandium Lays Off 40 in Reorganization Moves

Restaurant owner Prandium Inc. said it is eliminating about 40 jobs--half at its Irvine headquarters--and that the president of its Koo Koo Roo division will leave as part of a corporate reorganization.

Prandium, which also owns the Chi-Chi’s restaurant chain, said in a news release that it will centralize marketing and food and beverage development units in Irvine under Laurie A. Katapski, executive vice president of marketing. She will move to Irvine from the company’s Louisville, Ky., office.

Kevin S. Relyea, Prandium’s chairman and Chi-Chi’s president, will assume the duties of Koo Koo Roo’s president, replacing Gayle A. DeBrosse. He said in the release that he and DeBrosse decided the company “cannot afford two presidents.”

The company said the reorganization is designed to consolidate functions, reduce corporate overhead and gain efficiencies.