W. Randall Schoch
Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Veteran restaurateur Randy Schoch has served as the Chief Executive Officer since he founded Desert Island Restaurants in 1998. Being from the Hawaiian Islands and living in the Arizona desert, the name for his company came to Randy naturally. Launching his 35+ career in the food service industry in Hawaii as a busboy, his recipe for success has been the blending of his entrepreneurial spirit with his love for food.

Desert Island Restaurants currently oversees the operations of Thaifoon—Taste of AsiaSM, located in Salt Lake City, Utah; five franchised Ruth’s Chris Steak House® and two Romano’s Macaroni Grill® restaurants located throughout the Hawaiian Islands; and Randy’s latest concept, Ling & Louie’s Asian Bar and GrillSM , based in Scottsdale, Ariizona with franchised locations spreading throughout the western United States, including two stores in Denver, Colorado, one in Chandler, Arizona, and another opening soon in Meridian, Idaho.

In the past, Desert Island Restaurants has included other successful restaurants, which were ultimately sold, including: Nick’s Fishmarket and Black Orchid Restaurant in Honolulu, Hawaii; three Roy’s Pacific Rim Cuisine® restaurants in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona and Newport Beach, California; and three Thaifoon restaurants located in Newport Beach and Irvine, California and Scottsdale, Arizona.

Along with his commitment to his restaurants’ guests, Randy is strongly rooted in his personal commitment to family and service to the communities his restaurants serve—in Phoenix, Arizona and on the Hawaiian Islands. He has been married to his wife Cheri for over 18 years and has two teenage children. Over the years, he has been a committed Board member for numerous organizations, including: Barrow’s Neurological Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix Suns Charities, and St. Joseph’s Hospital Special Olympics in Phoenix, Arizona, as well as the Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children and The Special Olympics in Hawaii. Since 1989, Randy has been an active member of the Hawaii chapter of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO). He has been a dedicated member of the Arizona chapter of YPO since 1999, formerly serving as Chairman.

Robert Snyder
President and Chief Operating Officer

Bob Snyder, President and Chief Operating Officer, has been with Desert Island Restaurants since 2003. He directs and coordinates all activities of the company in accordance with the company’s business plan to obtain optimum efficiency of operations, as well as to maximize profits.

Bob is a CPA with a graduate degree in Management. He has been a part-time college instructor at various colleges, teaching a variety of business courses. Prior to Desert Island Restaurants, Bob was a business consultant to several national business organizations and was President of a franchise group which developed, owned and operated T.G.I. Friday’s® Restaurants.

Bob has also been very active in numerous non-profit organizations where he has served in various executive capacities.

Jeff Blair
Vice President of Operations

Jeff Blair joined Desert Island Restaurants in September of 2007 as Vice President of Operations, overseeing the company’s Ruth’s Chris Steak House® and Romano’s Macaroni Grill® restaurants in Hawaii. Since early 2009, he has also been responsible for overseeing the Asian Brands, Ling & Louie’s Asian Bar and GrillSM and Thaifoon—Taste of AsiaSM restaurants on the Mainland. Jeff began his career in the restaurant industry at age 16 at a family owned restaurant in upstate New York. After receiving a degree from New England Culinary of the Arts in 1990, he continued his professional success in the restaurant industry, and, in 1994, had the exceptional opportunity to work closely with visionary creator of Ruth’s Chris Steak House® , Ruth Fertel. After 10 years with Ruth’s Chris Steak House® , Jeff achieved his goal of running a multi-unit restaurant chain, Sullivan’s Steakhouse, for 3 ½ years. He then returned to the Ruth’s Chris family and served as West Coast Corporate Chef in Louisiana. After 12 years with that company, he was awarded the prestigious ‘Ruth U Fertel Award’ at the 2007 General Manager & Chef Conference in San Antonio, Texas, which honored him for his exceptional leadership and performance over the years.

Kim Kirkland
Controller

Kim Kirkland has served as Controller of Desert Island Restaurants since May 2005. She is responsible for maintaining all accounting records, development, analysis and interpretation of statistical and accounting information in order to evaluate operating results in terms of profitability, performance against budget and other matters bearing on the fiscal soundness and operating effectiveness of the company. Kim joined the company in November 2004 as Assistant Controller of Desert Island Restaurants. Between August 2003 and September 2004, she was employed as the Controller and Human Resources Manager of L.A.P. Holdings LLC in Tempe, Arizona. Between January 2002 and August 2003, she was Controller of Design Hotels Inc. in Scottsdale, Arizona. Kim graduated from The University of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business and Accounting.

Lisa Mazzocchi
Controller, Hawaii

Lisa Mazzocchi joined Desert Island Restaurants in May of 2009 after 11 years of employment with the regional pizza and family entertainment restaurant chain Peter Piper Pizza® . She held the position of Corporate Controller for the last 5 years with Peter Piper Pizza® and was responsible for all aspects of accounting and financial statement preparation, as well as treasury and capital management. She is currently responsible for operational analysis and financial statement integrity for Desert Island Restaurants’ Ruth’s Chris Steak House® and Romano’s Macaroni Grill® restaurants in Hawaii. Lisa graduated from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting.

Linda Eckert
Director of People Services and Franchise Development

Linda Eckert has served as Desert Island Restaurants’ Director of People Services since May 2004. In this capacity, she manages all human resource and training functions. Since June 2006, she has also served as the Director of Franchise Development and is responsible for franchise development, market development, franchisee training, franchise advertising and franchisee relations. Between April 2002 and May 2004, Linda was Senior Human Resource and Training Manager for Main Street and Main, Inc. (subsequently acquired by Briad Main Street, Inc.) in Phoenix, Arizona. In that position, she managed all human resource functions for over 90 franchised restaurants, including The Bamboo Club®, Redfish Bar and GrillSM and TGI Friday’s®. Between December 1999 and March 2002, Linda was the Human Resource Manager for Mountain Range Restaurant Groups and was based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Between March 1997 and December 1999, she served as Director of Operations for Kahala Franchising Company in Scottsdale, Arizona, which operated more than 100 franchises across the country at that time.

Greg Smith
Corporate Executive Chef of Asian Concepts

Greg Smith, Desert Island Restaurants’ Corporate Executive Chef of Asian Concepts, has been with the company since August 2002. He joined the company as a part-time cook at the Thaifoon—Taste of AsiaSM restaurant in Scottsdale, Arizona. In March 2003, Greg was promoted to Executive Chef and General Manager of both the Scottsdale and Salt Lake City, Utah Thaifoon—Taste of AsiaSM restaurants, and served in that capacity for three years. In June 2006, he advanced to Corporate Executive Chef of Asian Concepts. Greg is currently based at the Ling & Louie’s Asian Bar and GrillSM corporate location in Scottsdale, Arizona. He is responsible for overseeing all back-of house operations; training; menu development; and compliance with company, recipe, and food quality standards of the company’s Asian concepts, including Thaifoon Taste of AsiaSM in Salt Lake City, Utah, as well as Ling & Louie’s Asian Bar and Grill’sSM corporate and franchised locations located throughout the western United States.

Deborah Hinson
The Hinson Group, Inc.

In her role with Desert Island Restaurants, Deborah and her team provide strategic marketing direction in the areas of public relations, advertising, web-based marketing, branding and creative development. Prior to establishing her own practice, Deborah served as Vice President of Marketing for Ruth’s Chris Steak House® and National Sales Director for Morton’s® The Steakhouse of Chicago. The Hinson Group, Inc. is a recognized industry leader in the areas of local market promotion and revenue development. A twenty year marketing veteran, Deborah has received numerous awards including Finalist, Best Marketing Executive, The American Business Awards and a Silver Inkwell Award for Best Corporate Communication Program. Deborah received her Bachelor of Science from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.