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Giardino, Chop Chop Rice announce expansion plans

Giradino's Bella Bowls feature a quinoa base packed with ellagic acid filled strawberries, kale, walnuts, dried cranberries, goat cheese and a berry vinaigrette.

September 10, 2019

Two fast casual chains — Giardino Gourmet Salads and Chop Chop Rice Co. —  are celebrating their 15th birthdays this month with major growth plans.

Giardino,a Miami-based brand that has grown from a single Coral Gables restaurant into a nearly 20-unit regional chain, is looking to expand across Florida  in Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Orlando, Tampa and Sarasota. Founders Ody and Kenny Lugo, a former Miami-Dade County schoolteacher and Miami-Dade County firefighter, respectively, developed their vision for the restaurant after realizing there was a genuine need across South Florida for real, simple and fresh garden-to-bowl food, according to a press release.

"The continued success of Giardino Gourmet Salads is a direct testament to the tireless dedication of our franchise owners, innovative leadership team, and dedicated team members at every restaurant that love to serve our guests, Ody Lugo said in the release. "We're extremely proud to be here today and how the community has embraced us and look forward to another 15 years."

Over the next 15 years, Giardino will focus on building restaurants across Florida where the company believes there is a need for fast casual alternatives.

"We take development very seriously and that is reflected in the quality of our owners and the locations in which we operate restaurants," Kenny Lugo said in the release. "Our mission is to be a part of our communities for another 15 years and beyond. And we're doing that through smart and deliberate growth. That's why we're so excited about what's in store for our brand."

Additionally, and in recognition of its 15 years in business, the brand is joining forces again with the Live Like Bella Childhood Cancer Foundation, a South Florida organization that funds global innovative research and supports families whose children are in treatment, to build awareness and raise funds during Childhood Cancer Month in September. Through the end of the September, all Giardino restaurants will donate 50% of the proceeds from the sale of its signature Bella Bowl to the Foundation.

Bella Bowls feature a quinoa base packed with ellagic acid filled strawberries (Bella's favorite), kale, walnuts, dried cranberries, goat cheese and a berry vinaigrette.

The chain hopes to shed light on the fact that childhood cancer remains the number one disease killer of children in the United States today. In fact, nearly 16,000 children under the age of 21 are diagnosed with cancer every year.

"We are very pleased to join forces again with the Live Like Bella Childhood Cancer Foundation as we work together to bridge the gap between a lack of coordinated funding and the research needed to enable better treatment options while empowering families and survivors," Ody Lugo said.

Chop Chop Rice Co., a  Japanese-inspired Asian grill headquartered in Texas has four units, is in the midst of franchise expansion. 

"Our goal is to attract franchisees initially in Texas from Abilene, San Angelo, Wichita Falls, Midland to Odessa," Co-CEO David Smith said in the release. "The Oklahoma City metro area, as well as Stillwater and Tulsa in Oklahoma are also are on our radar."

At average unit volume over $1.2 million — according to its most recent Federal Disclosure Document — franchisees will see a strong unit volume positioning the brand for multi-unit growth. Existing corporate units are located in strip shopping centers with square footage of 2,300 square feet. 

"The fast-casual Asian segment is one of the fastest growing segments in the restaurant industry," Smith said. "We think Chop Chop is an attractive franchise because of its simple, efficient, low-cost operation."