Former Focus Brands President Paul Damico is the new CEO of Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, the fast casual confirmed Monday.
Damico, who was also formerly CEO of Naf Naf Grill, shared the news on his Facebook and LinkedIn profiles early Monday before deleting the posts later in the day.
“We can conform that Paul is the CEO of Fuzzy’s Taco Shop,” a chain spokeswoman said in an email to Restaurant Business. “The leadership team is very excited about adding Paul’s expertise to the Fuzzy’s family, and we will be sharing more about that ‘officially’ in the coming weeks.”
Most recently, Damico was CEO for just over a year with Global Franchise Group, which was acquired late last month by Fat Brands. Global Franchise Group was the parent company of five concepts, including Hot Dog on a Stick and Round Table Pizza.
Fuzzy’s, which was founded in 2003 in Fort Worth, Texas, has almost 150 company-owned and franchised restaurants in 18 states. It serves a menu of Baja-inspired dishes.
In May, the chain opened a small-footprint sister concept, Fuzzy’s Taco Shop Taqueria, in Minneapolis. The new restaurant is about half the size of a traditional Fuzzy’s, with a scaled-down menu and a focus on off-premise business.
The new design gives franchisees another option to access available real estate, the chain said in a statement.
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