Real Mex Restaurants, Inc. , Cypress, Calif., said it namedRick Dutkiewiczinterim president and CEO atReal Mex Foods, a Buena Park, Calif.-based frozen Mexican foods processor supplying Real Mex Restaurants' various units, as well as other retail and foodservice customers.
Officials said Dutkiewicz replaces Carlos Angulo, who resigned to pursue other interests. Meanwhile, Real Mex has a national executive search to replace Angulo, officials said.
“Real Mex Foods has significant and unique capabilities that can be leveraged in innovative ways not easily replicated by our manufacturing competitors,” said Dutkiewicz. “The effort we are putting forward today to seek out an appropriate leader demonstrates our commitment to our customers and our Real Mex team. We are excited and confident that this opportunity to provide fresh thinking and a renewed level of enthusiasm for this important segment of our business is reflective of our confidence on our vision for the future.”
Real Mex Foods' web site says the business employs about 200 workers at its Vernon, Calif., plant.
Real Mex Restaurants says it is the largest full-service, casual dining Mexican restaurant chain operator in the United States in terms of number of restaurants. The company operates 178 restaurants of which 149 were located in California and the remainder located in 11 other states, primarily under the trade names El Torito Restaurant, Chevys Fresh Mex and Acapulco Mexican Restaurant Y Cantina.
