Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc.® Taps Southwest Media Group

ADDISON, Texas, Nov. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc.^® (NASDAQ: FRGI) will partner with Dallas-based Southwest Media Group to streamline media planning and buying across all media channels for its Pollo Tropical and Taco Cabana brands.

Southwest Media Group, one of the region's premier media and marketing service agencies, will maximize strategic and media vehicle efficiencies for the two brands' nearly 300 fast casual locations across six states. With 165 restaurants in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico, Taco Cabana serves fresh, handmade Mexican fare, while Miami-based Pollo Tropical features Caribbean-inspired food including its famous citrus-marinated, flame-grilled chicken at nearly 100 locations in Florida, Georgia and Tennessee, plus more than 30 franchised international locations.

The partnership, which officially kicked off on Nov. 1, reunites longtime professional cohorts Tim Taft, Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. president and CEO, and Bob Nichol, Southwest Media Group founder and CEO.

"Bob and I started working together nearly two decades ago, and through our long, shared history, he and his team have stayed ahead of the curve in the changing media landscape to lead brands with creative, strategic thinking," said Taft. "We know Southwest Media Group will be a powerful resource for both Taco Cabana and Pollo Tropical as we continue to grow."

While Southwest Media Group will work with both brands, Taco Cabana and Pollo Tropical will each have their own creative agency of record. Taco Cabana recently announced the hiring of Dallas-based Firehouse, and Pollo Tropical has selected Dallas-based Pyro as their agency of record. All three new agency partnerships poise Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. for continued growth.

"It has been a true pleasure collaborating with a visionary like Tim over the years," said Nichol. "He brings big-picture thinking to everything he does, and we look forward to renewing our professional partnership through our work with Taco Cabana and Pollo Tropical."

More information on Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. is available at www.frgi.com.

About Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc.
Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. owns and operates the Pollo Tropical^® and Taco Cabana^® restaurant brands. Fiesta's brands specialize in the operation of fast casual, ethnic restaurants that offer distinct and unique flavors with broad appeal at a compelling value. Both brands feature made-from-scratch cooking, fresh salsa bars, and drive-thru service and catering. Fiesta common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol FRGI. For more information about Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc., visit the company's website at www.frgi.com.

About Southwest Media Group
Award-winning Southwest Media Group, a media and marketing communications solutions company and one of the region's leading media service agencies, provides strategic planning, buying, digital and marketing services to a growing list of blue-chip clients. Named the top agency in The Dallas Morning News' annual "Top 100 Places to Work 2012" special section, Southwest Media Group's clients include Dillard's, Dave and Buster's, Michaels and Visit Orlando, among others.

Media Contact:
Francesca Valadez
210-283-5517
[email protected]

SOURCE Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc.