Operations veteran Pete Pascuzzi has been appointed CEO of Mexican Restaurants Inc. (MRI), parent of the Casa Ole, Monterey’s Little Mexico, Tortuga Mexican Kitchen and Uberrito Fresh Mex chains.
Pascuzzi joins the 40-unit operation after working as president for three years of Falcon Enterprises, a franchisee of Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s, Church’s Chicken, Long John Silver’s and Taco Bell. In that job, he oversaw about 300 restaurants.
In a 35-year career, Pascuzzi has also held operations and other executive positions at Perkins & Marie Callender’s, the parent of Ryan’s Steakhouse and Pasta Pomodoro.
“Pete’s deep restaurant industry expertise and exemplary leadership history make him the perfect fit to lead MRI to the next level,” Berke Bakay, the company’s chairman, said in a statement. “He brings years of experience managing every aspect of restaurant organizations, including operations, marketing, R&D, finance, human resources and training.”
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