---
title: "Ojo Locos hires former Twin Peaks chief Joe Hummel as CEO"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/c8c5af78-c14c-47bf-8f9e-113c8ca68d74
source: "Nation's Restaurant News"
original_url: https://www.nrn.com/casual-dining/ojo-locos-hires-former-twin-peaks-chief-joe-hummel-as-ceo
author: "Joe Guszkowski"
category: "Casual dining"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Casual dining"
topics: ["People"]
published: 2026-06-08T19:49:08.000Z
modified: 2026-10-31T13:18:14.174Z
image: https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/bltea7aee2fca050a19/blt19bb25a151ef8f17/6a271d9521dacd8354cce0dc/Ojos_Locos.jpg?width=1280&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale
---

# Ojo Locos hires former Twin Peaks chief Joe Hummel as CEO

**TL;DR:** Ojos Locos Sports Cantina has hired Joe Hummel, former CEO of Twin Peaks, as its new CEO, and Clay Mingus, former chief legal officer of Twin Peaks, as its new chief legal officer. The hires are expected to lead the 35-unit sports bar chain into its next phase of systemwide growth.

*By Joe Guszkowski, originally published in Nation's Restaurant News on 2026-06-08. [Read the original](https://www.nrn.com/casual-dining/ojo-locos-hires-former-twin-peaks-chief-joe-hummel-as-ceo).*

## Story

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.”

## Entities

- QSR (sector)
- Nation's Restaurant News (publication)
- growth strategy (topic)
- Twin Peaks (company)
- ceo appointment (topic)
- executive hiring (topic)
- Joe Hummel (person)
- Joe Guszkowski (person)
- sports bar chain (topic)
- Ojos Locos (company)
- Clay Mingus (person)
- Rich Hicks (person)

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Originally reported by Joe Guszkowski, Nation's Restaurant News (https://www.nrn.com/casual-dining/ojo-locos-hires-former-twin-peaks-chief-joe-hummel-as-ceo). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/c8c5af78-c14c-47bf-8f9e-113c8ca68d74).