Restaurant industry veteran Bob Moore has joined Pollo Tropical as vice president of operations for Texas. In the newly created position, Moore will support the company's growth initiatives in the state.

Moore's extensive restaurant operations experience includes a turnaround stint as president and CEO at Western Sizzlin, Inc., prior to its merger with Steak 'n Shake. Before that, he served for more than six years as chief restaurant operations officer at Texas-based Whataburger and was also director of operations during his 15 years with the company. His other top leadership roles include vice president of operation services for Sonic.

"Creating this position is a direct reflection of our commitment to Texas as a cornerstone in Pollo Tropical's brand development and our aggressive growth plans," says Pollo Tropical COO Danny Meisenheimer. "Bob's proven leadership and deep operational experience will be key in helping us achieve our goals."

Pollo Tropical first entered the Texas market in 2014 and has since opened 14 restaurants in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio with 11 more planned for 2015. Moore will ensure that the rapid growth in Texas and westward is strongly supported by solid infrastructure, and he will lead the charge as the company tests new initiatives in the region.

"This is an incredibly dynamic time in Pollo Tropical's history, and I look forward to working with Pollo's team to maximize our growth potential with solid ops procedures that support not only our current Texas stores, but also set the stage for growth over the next three to five years," Moore says.