Fiesta Restaurant Group Inc. has named John Todd as its chief development officer, the company said Monday.
In the newly created position, Todd will report to Fiesta chief executive Tim Taft. He will oversee all elements of the company’s real estate and development, as well as work with Taft on several franchise initiatives.
“The addition of John to this management team demonstrates our commitment to grow these two brands,” Taft said in a statement. “John brings a track record of successfully executing national development strategies and is well prepared to lead this critical part of our business as we accelerate the pace of our development and venture into new market areas. His skill set, work ethic and enthusiasm make him a perfect fit for our organization and he will bring a new level of real estate and development discipline to Fiesta.”
Todd most recently served as chief development officer at Arby’s. Prior to that, he spent almost 20 years in real estate and development at RTM Restaurant Group, a subsidiary of Arby’s
“I'm excited to be a part of this dynamic team that is being assembled,” Todd said in a statement. “What attracted me to Fiesta was the unique differentiation of these brands and their enormous upside potential. I look forward to being a part of their future.”
Late last month, Burger King franchisee Carrols Restaurant Group Inc. approved the spin-off of Fiesta. The deal was finalized May 7 and completed through a tax-free dividend of common stock of Fiesta to Carrols’ shareholders.
Miami, Fla.-based Fiesta owns and operates 243 company-owned and 38 franchised locations of the Pollo Tropical and Taco Cabana brands in the United States, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Trinidad and Venezuela.
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Contact Charlie Duerr at [email protected].