Xperience Restaurant Group (XRG) has promoted Chief Operating Officer Mike Johnson as its newest chief executive, effective immediately.
Johnson succeeds previous executive Randy Sharpe, who exited the Cypress-based company in February to become CEO of Wahlburgers, the restaurant chain of celebrity brothers Mark, Donnie and Chef Paul Wahlberg.
Johnson joined XRG in 2018 and moved up to chief operating officer in 2022; he was previously working for XRG’s former iteration, Real Mex Restaurants, before private equity firm Z Capital Partners acquired the company out of bankruptcy and reorganized it in 2018.
His “operational expertise and proven ability to lead cross-functional teams to execute on near- and long-term strategic initiatives has contributed to the success of XRG over the last six years,” Z Capital’s Founder and CEO James Zenni said in a statement.
XRG owns and operates 12 different restaurant concepts, with a focus on Mexican cuisine, including El Torito, Las Brisas, Sol Cocina and Solita. The company reported systemwide sales of $285 million for 2022 and currently counts over 60 locations in the U.S.
