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Panchero's Mexican Grill names inaugural Franchisee of the Year

January 31, 2012

For the first time in company history, Panchero's Mexican Grill has named a Franchisee of the Year winner.

Lou Kathrakis, owner of the Panchero's located in Shelton, Conn., received the honor. Kathrakis, 30, opened his restaurant in 2007.

"I feel honored to be the first recipient of the award and look forward to getting it again hopefully," Kathrakis said. "Things are going very well and I am looking to expand in 2012."

Panchero's plans to make the Franchisee of the Year honor an annual award.

"We have many great franchise owners so we thought it was time to start recognizing their achievements," said Barry Nelson, vice president of operations for Panchero's. "Lou was a great first choice. He's a military veteran so he is great at following the system and his restaurant has been doing very well for more than four years. We are excited for him to continue to grow with Panchero's and open additional locations in Connecticut."

Founded in 1992, Panchero's currently has more than 50 locations in the U.S. and plans to have 65 restaurants open across the country by the end of 2013.