Ojo Locos hires former Twin Peaks chief Joe Hummel as CEO

Ojos Locos Sports Cantina has scooped up a pair of executives following their departure from a competitor.

The 35-unit sports bar chain hired former Twin Peaks CEO Joe Hummel as its new chief executive officer. It also named Clay Mingus, Twin Peaks’ former chief legal officer, to the same role at Ojos Locos.

The two left Twin Peaks in March 2025 and joined Ojos Locos this past April, bringing about 40 years of combined experience at Twin Peaks and Hooters. The sports bar concepts, like Ojos Locos, are best known for their scantily clad waitstaff.

Hummel replaces CEO Rich Hicks, who co-founded Ojos Locos in 2010. Hicks is currently CEO of Pie Tap Pizza Workshop and Reach Hospitality, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Hummel will be responsible for leading Dallas-based Ojos Locos into its next phase of growth after a strong run over the past several years, including 7.2% systemwide sales growth and two restaurant openings in 2025, according to Technomic data.

The brand serves scratch-made Mexican cuisine and other sports-bar fare and focuses on the Latin community and sports fans, particularly soccer. Its restaurants are mainly in the Southwest and it sees more room for growth in that market and beyond, according to a press release.

It has been one of the better-performing breastaurant chains, a category that includes Hooters and Twin Peaks, which were both recently in bankruptcy, as well as HotShots, Bombshells and Tilted Kilt.

Hummel and Mingus have experience growing such a brand with Dallas-based Twin Peaks, which went from 14 locations to 115 during their tenure. After operating the chain’s largest franchisee group, they moved to the corporate side in 2017 and helped take Twin Peaks public early last year with Hummel as CEO.

They left to pursue other opportunities, according to Twin Peaks. The chain was recently sold as part of the Fat Brands bankruptcy.

“The brands that stand the test of time are the ones that obsess over the fundamentals,” said Hummel in a statement. “With great food, great hospitality, strong unit-level economics and consistent execution, sustainable growth follows. Ojos Locos already has an incredibly strong foundation and a passionate guest following, and my focus is on helping the brand continue evolving while protecting the things that make it special.”