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Upscale fast casual concept adds second unit

May 1, 2013

GRILLiT Inc. has acquired 100 percent of Healthy & Tasty Ventures LLC, a fast casual restaurant franchise and store operator based in Miami. The company's announcement of this transaction coincides with this week's opening of a second restaurant location in the Miami area at 15807 Pines Blvd., Pembroke, Fla.

The upscale restaurants, with a fun and relaxing environment, tap into consumers' preference for high-quality, affordable and health-conscious eat-in and carry-out dining, said GRILLiT CEO Raimundo Dias. GRILLiT uses only fresh ingredients and offers a variety of made-to-order grilled meats, seafood, salads, pasta and rice bowls, and wraps made with seasonings and customer-selected combinations.

"The franchise model for GRILLiT follows that of Chipotle, which trades on the NYSE, Panera Bread, which trades on Nasdaq, as well as P.F Chang's and other double-digit revenue producers in the restaurant trend taking over America,  fast casual dining," he said.

A new COO
The company recently appointed Ruben Gonzales to the post of chief operations officer. He was previously the senior vice president of operations for Chicken Kitchen USA, and was district manager for Pollo Tropical restaurants.

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