Member since July 2025
Mohaimina "Mina" Haque, Esq.
Chief Executive Officer, Tony Roma's | Attorney & Founder, Law Office of Mohaimina Haque, PLLC
Mohaimina "Mina" Haque is a groundbreaking leader who seamlessly bridges the worlds of law and business as both CEO of Tony Roma's and founder of her own premier law practice in Washington, D.C. As the first female CEO in Tony Roma's 52-year history, she has transformed the global casual dining brand into what she calls a "52-year-old startup," driving strategic innovation, international expansion, and sustainable business practices across five continents.
Legal Excellence & Entrepreneurship
Mina is the Principal Attorney and Founder of The Law Office of Mohaimina Haque, PLLC, a full-service law firm specializing in corporate law, immigration, business and franchise law, personal injury, and litigation. Recognized as Top Attorney of the Year 2023 by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) and named one of the Outstanding Women in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area by Washingtonian Magazine in 2021, she has built a reputation for innovative legal solutions and strategic counsel.
She earned her Juris Doctor cum laude from American University Washington College of Law and holds both Master's and Bachelor's degrees from Georgetown University. Her distinguished early career included serving in the prestigious White House Internship Program at the Domestic Policy Council under President Barack Obama, working in the U.S. Senate offices of the late Senator Edward Kennedy and Senator Mark Warner, and earning the Assistant Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Work at the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division.
Corporate Leadership & Innovation
Appointed CEO of Tony Roma's in August 2024 after serving as interim CEO since June 2023, Mina has spearheaded the brand's remarkable transformation. Beginning as outside general counsel in 2021, she conducted extensive due diligence when Equity Investors of New England acquired the legacy brand, ultimately earning the board's confidence to lead the company's renaissance.
Under her leadership, Tony Roma's has reduced buildout costs from $3 million to $1.7 million through innovative prototype development, lowered franchise fees, and expanded internationally while maintaining operations across almost 60 locations. She has championed sustainability initiatives, responsible sourcing, and female franchise ownership while positioning the brand for modern diners.
Global Speaking & Thought Leadership
Mina is a sought-after international speaker and thought leader, having presented at prestigious platforms including The Female Quotient's Equality Lounges, Davos, Cannes trade missions, and Riyadh. As an Official Member of the Forbes Business Council, she regularly contributes insights on leadership, franchise development, and women in business.
Her expertise spans mergers and acquisitions strategy, franchise law, corporate governance, and sustainable business transformation. She also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Law Practice Management at American University Washington College of Law, where she teaches the next generation about building virtual firms and embracing technological advancement.
Awards & Recognition
Top Attorney of the Year 2023 - International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP)
Power Player Award 2024 - DC Magazine Modern Luxury
Outstanding Women 2021 - Washingtonian Magazine
Top 50 Women Leaders Award - Women We Admire
Featured in BELLA Magazine's BELLA Boss: March 2025 Women of Influence Issue
Personal Mission
Guided by her commitment to Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) initiatives, Mina is passionate about breaking barriers for women in leadership and creating opportunities for underrepresented entrepreneurs. "Being the first female CEO of this brand shouldn't start and end with me," she says. "The legacy I want to leave is having more female franchisees."
Mina resides in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area with her husband, a technology transactions attorney, and their two daughters. Her inspiring journey from young mother to legal entrepreneur to CEO exemplifies her belief that authentic leadership comes from embracing challenges and creating pathways for others to succeed.
Teaching, Travel, Fashion and everything good that humanity has to offer and collectively achieves :)
How I became the CEO of a global brand at the age of 33?
Breaking Every Rule: My Journey from 18 year old Bride to a major company CEO
I was 21 years old, standing in the White House when First Lady Michelle Obama looked at me and said, "Wow, you have a lot on your plate, please get some rest."
That moment crystallized everything for me. Here I was—a young mother with a toddler in tow, full-time Georgetown graduate student, White House intern, and the daughter of Bangladeshi immigrants—being recognized by the First Lady of the United States. I texted my husband immediately: "The First Lady just told me to get some rest!" But in that moment, I realized I wasn't looking for rest. I was looking for purpose.
The Unconventional Beginning
My story doesn't follow any traditional playbook. I married my husband when I was 18 and he was 23—both of us were told we were too young, that it would derail our dreams. Instead, it accelerated them. When he got into Georgetown Law with a Dean's scholarship, I transferred to Georgetown too. People called it following my husband, but I call it strategic partnership.
By 21, I had given birth to our first daughter and was raising a toddler while pursuing my master's degree in social and public policy. Everyone expected me to slow down, take a break, maybe reconsider my ambitions. Instead, I leaned in harder. I continued my classes, completed my White House internship at the Domestic Policy Council under President Obama with my daughter by my side, and maintained a full-time job at the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division.
My Aha Moment: Redefining Possible
My real aha moment came not in any single instant, but in the accumulation of people telling me what wasn't possible. "You can't be a mother and excel academically." "You can't work full-time and be present for your family." "You can't practice law and run a restaurant empire."
Each "can't" became fuel. I realized that the barriers people saw weren't limitations—they were simply paths no one had mapped yet. My daughter literally grew up watching me attend law school, seeing that dreams don't have to wait for the "right time."
The Power of Parallel Paths
When I founded my law practice in 2019, I thought I understood my calling. I was the immigrant's daughter who would fight for justice, help other immigrants navigate the system that my family had conquered. I built a successful firm, earned recognition as Top Attorney of the Year, and thought I had found my lane.
Then Tony Roma's came into my life. What started as a legal due diligence project—nine months of examining every contract, every franchise agreement, every operational detail of this 52-year-old restaurant empire—became something much bigger. I wasn't just reviewing legal documents; I was seeing potential where others saw problems.
The Unexpected CEO Journey
The board's decision to name me CEO wasn't just surprising—it was revolutionary. I had no restaurant experience. I was a lawyer, not a hospitality executive. But that's exactly why it worked. I approached Tony Roma's like a case I needed to win, not an industry I needed to conform to.
I saw a "52-year-old startup"—a legacy brand with incredible bones that needed fresh vision. I reduced build-out costs from $3 million to $1.7 million. I streamlined operations across five continents. I made sustainability and female franchise ownership central to our mission. Not because it was restaurant industry best practice, but because it was the right thing to do.
The Legacy I'm Building
Today, as I balance being CEO of a global restaurant chain, running my law practice, and teaching the next generation of lawyers at American University, people ask me how I manage it all. The truth is, I don't see them as separate roles—I see them as chapters of the same story.Every immigrant client I help reminds me why representation matters. Every franchisee I support teaches me about entrepreneurship. Every law student I mentor could be the next person to break a barrier I haven't even imagined yet.
My story isn't unique because I broke barriers—it's unique because of how I broke them. I didn't wait for permission. I didn't follow traditional timelines. I didn't let anyone else define what was possible for me.
But more importantly, I've learned that breakthrough moments don't happen in isolation. They happen when you:
Refuse to see obstacles as endings, but as plot twists
Build authentic partnerships that amplify rather than compromise your ambitions
Use your "outsider" perspective as a competitive advantage
Create paths for others to follow, not just success for yourself
The Message I Bring to Every Stage
When I speak to audiences, I don't just share my story—I share the blueprint. How do you redefine success on your own terms? How do you turn "impossible" into "inevitable"? How do you build a legacy that matters?
As the first female CEO in Tony Roma's history, I carry the weight of representation. But I also carry the joy of possibility. The question isn't whether barriers exist. The question is: What are you going to build with the pieces when you break through them?
Because when the First Lady of the United States tells a young mother juggling a toddler and multiple responsibilities to "get some rest," and that same woman grows up to run a Fortune 500 company while practicing law and teaching others—that's not just a personal victory. That's proof that the American Dream is still being written, one "impossible" story at a time.
How I became the CEO of a global brand at the age of 33?
Breaking Every Rule: My Journey from 18 year old Bride to a major company CEO
I was 21 years old, standing in the White House when First Lady Michelle Obama looked at me and said, "Wow, you have a lot on your plate, please get some rest."
That moment crystallized everything for me. Here I was—a young mother with a toddler in tow, full-time Georgetown graduate student, White House intern, and the daughter of Bangladeshi immigrants—being recognized by the First Lady of the United States. I texted my husband immediately: "The First Lady just told me to get some rest!" But in that moment, I realized I wasn't looking for rest. I was looking for purpose.
The Unconventional Beginning
My story doesn't follow any traditional playbook. I married my husband when I was 18 and he was 23—both of us were told we were too young, that it would derail our dreams. Instead, it accelerated them. When he got into Georgetown Law with a Dean's scholarship, I transferred to Georgetown too. People called it following my husband, but I call it strategic partnership.
By 21, I had given birth to our first daughter and was raising a toddler while pursuing my master's degree in social and public policy. Everyone expected me to slow down, take a break, maybe reconsider my ambitions. Instead, I leaned in harder. I continued my classes, completed my White House internship at the Domestic Policy Council under President Obama with my daughter by my side, and maintained a full-time job at the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division.
My Aha Moment: Redefining Possible
My real aha moment came not in any single instant, but in the accumulation of people telling me what wasn't possible. "You can't be a mother and excel academically." "You can't work full-time and be present for your family." "You can't practice law and run a restaurant empire."
Each "can't" became fuel. I realized that the barriers people saw weren't limitations—they were simply paths no one had mapped yet. My daughter literally grew up watching me attend law school, seeing that dreams don't have to wait for the "right time."
The Power of Parallel Paths
When I founded my law practice in 2019, I thought I understood my calling. I was the immigrant's daughter who would fight for justice, help other immigrants navigate the system that my family had conquered. I built a successful firm, earned recognition as Top Attorney of the Year, and thought I had found my lane.
Then Tony Roma's came into my life. What started as a legal due diligence project—nine months of examining every contract, every franchise agreement, every operational detail of this 52-year-old restaurant empire—became something much bigger. I wasn't just reviewing legal documents; I was seeing potential where others saw problems.
The Unexpected CEO Journey
The board's decision to name me CEO wasn't just surprising—it was revolutionary. I had no restaurant experience. I was a lawyer, not a hospitality executive. But that's exactly why it worked. I approached Tony Roma's like a case I needed to win, not an industry I needed to conform to.
I saw a "52-year-old startup"—a legacy brand with incredible bones that needed fresh vision. I reduced build-out costs from $3 million to $1.7 million. I streamlined operations across five continents. I made sustainability and female franchise ownership central to our mission. Not because it was restaurant industry best practice, but because it was the right thing to do.
The Legacy I'm Building
Today, as I balance being CEO of a global restaurant chain, running my law practice, and teaching the next generation of lawyers at American University, people ask me how I manage it all. The truth is, I don't see them as separate roles—I see them as chapters of the same story.Every immigrant client I help reminds me why representation matters. Every franchisee I support teaches me about entrepreneurship. Every law student I mentor could be the next person to break a barrier I haven't even imagined yet.
My story isn't unique because I broke barriers—it's unique because of how I broke them. I didn't wait for permission. I didn't follow traditional timelines. I didn't let anyone else define what was possible for me.
But more importantly, I've learned that breakthrough moments don't happen in isolation. They happen when you:
Refuse to see obstacles as endings, but as plot twists
Build authentic partnerships that amplify rather than compromise your ambitions
Use your "outsider" perspective as a competitive advantage
Create paths for others to follow, not just success for yourself
The Message I Bring to Every Stage
When I speak to audiences, I don't just share my story—I share the blueprint. How do you redefine success on your own terms? How do you turn "impossible" into "inevitable"? How do you build a legacy that matters?
As the first female CEO in Tony Roma's history, I carry the weight of representation. But I also carry the joy of possibility. The question isn't whether barriers exist. The question is: What are you going to build with the pieces when you break through them?
Because when the First Lady of the United States tells a young mother juggling a toddler and multiple responsibilities to "get some rest," and that same woman grows up to run a Fortune 500 company while practicing law and teaching others—that's not just a personal victory. That's proof that the American Dream is still being written, one "impossible" story at a time.