The company will replace Pollo Tropical EVP/COO Jim Tunnessen and Taco Cabana EVP/COO Mike Biviano in January
Miami-based Fiesta Restaurant Group Inc., parent company of the Pollo Tropical and Taco Cabana chains, today revealed major executive changes for both brands.
Effective Jan. 31, 2013, Jim Tunnessen, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Pollo Tropical, and Mike Biviano, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Taco Cabana will both retire.
Tunnessen will be replaced by Danny Meisenheimer, who is currently chief brand officer at Pollo Tropical. Todd Coerver, chief brand officer at Taco Cabana, will replace Biviano at the company.
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Timothy Taft, president and chief executive at Fiesta Restaurant Group, said that the promotions of Meisenheimer and Coerver were obvious because of their experience with the brands.
“Both of them have been chief brand officers for the existing companies,” he said, adding that he has worked with Meisenheimer at three jobs during the past 20 years and that he worked with Coerver at Whataburger for 11 years. “They’re all on the same page in terms of their philosophies… It’s a very natural and seamless transition.”
Fiesta Restaurant Group operates 250 company-owned units and 41 franchised restaurants in Florida, Texas, and other locations in the U.S. and South and Central America.
Contact Erin Dostal at erin.dostal@penton.com.
Follow her on Twitter: @erindostal
