Fiesta Restaurant Group Leadership

Richard “Rich” Stockinger has been our Chief Executive Officer and President of Fiesta Restaurant Group since February 2017. Previously, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Benihana Inc. from 2009 to 2014, a member of the Board of Directors of Benihana from 2008 to 2014, a member of the Audit Committee of Benihana from 2008 to 2009, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Benihana from 2010 to 2012. Prior to joining Benihana, he spent more than two decades at The Patina Restaurant Group, LLC and its predecessor Restaurant Associates, Inc. during which time he served in various senior executive capacities, including as President from 2003 to 2008 and as a Director from 1998 to 2006. Most recently, Mr. Stockinger has been a consultant of Bruckmann, Rosser, Sherrill & Co., a private equity firm, and Not Your Average Joes, a private restaurant company of which Mr. Stockinger is a member of the Board of Directors.

Hope Diaz is a CMO at FIESTA RESTAURANT GROUP, INC. and is based in Miami, Florida. She has worked as CMO at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen and VP, Global Innovation, Insights and Analytics at Burger King. Hope attended University of Miami.

Mr. Montgomery has over a decade of restaurant industry experience, most recently as Chief Financial Officer of Hooters International, a $1 billion iconic restaurant chain with 425 units globally in 25 countries, where he was responsible for accounting, finance, technology, and global supply chain. He was previously Chief Financial Officer at Bloomin’ Brands, Inc., operator of leading global restaurant brands including Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse. Mr. Montgomery also had responsibility for supply chain and IT during his tenure at Bloomin’ Brands.

Lou DiPietro has been at Panera since June 2006. He was appointed Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary in November 2014. In this role, he oversees the company’s legal affairs including securities regulation, corporate governance, franchising, licensing, contracts and compliance. DiPietro also supports Panera’s board of directors. Prior to joining Panera, DiPietro held a variety of in house and law firm positions focusing on corporate, intellectual property, mergers and acquisitions and securities law. In addition to his work at Panera, he is also the Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of Cardinal Spellman High School located in Brockton, Massachusetts. DiPietro received his B.A., summa cum laude, from Boston College and is a cum laude graduate of Boston College Law School.

Richard “Rich” Stockinger has been our Chief Executive Officer and President of Fiesta Restaurant Group since February 2017. Previously, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Benihana Inc. from 2009 to 2014, a member of the Board of Directors of Benihana from 2008 to 2014, a member of the Audit Committee of Benihana from 2008 to 2009, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Benihana from 2010 to 2012. Prior to joining Benihana, he spent more than two decades at The Patina Restaurant Group, LLC and its predecessor Restaurant Associates, Inc. during which time he served in various senior executive capacities, including as President from 2003 to 2008 and as a Director from 1998 to 2006. Most recently, Mr. Stockinger has been a consultant of Bruckmann, Rosser, Sherrill & Co., a private equity firm, and Not Your Average Joes, a private restaurant company of which Mr. Stockinger is a member of the Board of Directors.