Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. announced that Richard “Rich” Stockinger has stepped down from his role as the Company's Chief Executive Officer to pursue other interests, effective immediately. Dirk Montgomery, Fiesta's Chief Financial Officer since 2019, will serve as interim CEO while the Company searches for a permanent chief executive. Dirk Montgomery has many years of experience helping major restaurant chains strengthen their accounting, finance, technology, and global supply chains.

He served as CFO and head of supply chain at Hooters International, a billion-dollar chain of 425 restaurants in 25 countries, 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, where he served as both a functional and business unit leader.