Fiesta Restaurant Group has named Dirk Montgomery its new CEOFiesta Restaurant Group has named Dirk Montgomery its new CEO

Fiesta Restaurant Group has named Dirk Montgomery as its permanent president and CEO, effective immediately. Montgomery has served as interim CEO since Dec. 8, 2022, and previously served as the company’s CFO.

“Since transitioning to the interim CEO role, I have been working with our talented team to prioritize and accelerate the key strategic initiatives that we believe will have the most significant impact on transaction growth and margin expansion,” Montgomery said in a statement. “Consistent with this approach, we have placed tremendous focus on building operations excellence and creating a great guest experience, all while continuing to enhance our brand presence and developing the teams necessary to support these initiatives. I am very excited to have the opportunity to continue working with the leadership team and our Board to unlock the significant growth potential of this special brand.”

Prior to joining Fiesta in 2019, Montgomery served as CFO and head of supply chain at Hooters International and at Bloomin’ Brands, which operates Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse. He also previously served as a retail and consumer products executive at companies such as L Brands and Sara Lee Corporation.

Related:Fiesta Restaurant Group CEO steps down; CFO assumes role

Fiesta Restaurant Group is the parent company of Pollo Tropical, a Florida-based grilled chicken fast casual brand with about 150 locations. The company sold Taco Cabana to YTC Enterprises in 2021 for $85 million.

Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]