Genghis Grill – The Mongolian Stir Fry has signed on franchisee Carlos Politano to lead the chain's expansion into the Washington, D.C. market.
Politano and his team have secured two Genghis Grill locations, one each in the Alexandria and Chantilly areas of Washington, D.C. Alexandria will open in mid-March and Chantilly will open later this spring, according to the company.
Politano started his restaurant career as an assistant manager in 1989 at Bennigans. For the last decade, he has worked as Panera Bread's regional director for the Virginia market and was a former Pei Wei Asian Diner operating partner leading the California, Nevada and Utah markets. Politano has partnered up with existing Genghis Grill franchisees: Keith Sullins of the Houston market and Frank Carney, founder of Pizza Hut, in the Wichita, Kan., market.
"I am very excited about the opportunity to enter this incredible restaurant market, especially with such an awesome, dynamic brand," Politano said.
With an aggressive expansion goal of reaching 100 new stores by the end of 2011, Genghis Grill is set to open more than 40 stores this year. The company has 59 locations open across the United States.
