• by Teresa Buyikian , March 28, 2025

This week Rego Restaurant Group announced it has hired Neel Patel as CEO to lead sub sandwich maker Quiznos as well as Mexican food fast-casual restaurant Taco del Mar. He replaces former CEO Tim Casey, who left in Dec. 2024 after a six-year tenure. 

Patel joins the company from Church’s Texas Chicken, where over the past three years he served as first an advisor, then moved into the role of senior vice president, strategy and growth. While there he “played a key role in the brand’s transformation and recent transactional growth, leading commercial strategy, revenue management, and global expansion efforts,” per Rego’s announcement.

“Both Quiznos and Taco del Mar are well-positioned for expansion and accelerated growth, and we are confident that Neel is the ideal leader to drive that momentum,” said Coady Smith, board member of Rego Restaurant Group and principal at High Bluff Capital Partners, in the announcement. “His deep expertise in driving unit-level profitability, optimizing operations, and delivering data-driven business transformations will be instrumental as we continue to expand our brands."

Before Church’s, Patel worked at McKinsey & Company as an engagement manager, consulting with businesses on enterprise strategy, commercial optimization, data & analytics and value creation. Earlier in his career Patel also spend time at Web.com, Wasserman Media Group and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Quizno has approximately 330 locations worldwide, with 148 in the U.S. Taco del Mar, which specializes in Mexican Coastal cuisine from southern Baja, has approximately 100 locations in the U.S. and Canada.