Sodexho's Retail Brand Group Opens First Pandini's Franchise
First franchised location for award-winning pizza, pasta and salad concept brings its signature, the Labretti to Charlotte area
ALLENTOWN, PA, November 27, 2007 - Retail Brand Group, LLC announced today the opening of the first Pandini's franchise by Bala Chetty of North Carolina. Pandini's®, a fast-casual restaurant serving pizza, pasta and salads, opened last week, bringing a nationally recognized and award-winning brand to the Charlotte area for the first time.
With 25 company-managed locations nationwide, the restaurant is one of the fastest growing brands by the Retail Brand Group, Sodexho Inc.'s retail restaurant development team. Pandini's was featured as a “Chain to Watch” in Restaurants & Institutions magazine and won a Hot Concepts! Award from Nation's Restaurant News in 2006; also named a concept with high-growth potential by Technomics in 2007.
“We are seeing phenomenal interest in the Pandini's brand in the marketplace because it is unique in the Italian segment - this is an exciting time of growth for the concept,” says Husein Kitabwalla, president of Retail Brand Group, LLC. “The essence of the Pandini's experience is the fresh and innovative menu offerings with a range of tastes from specialty pizzas and baked pastas, to salads and sandwiches, like our signature item, the Labretti™ (a mix of fresh meats, cheeses and greens in a folded pocket of fresh-baked pizza dough).”
Retail Brand Group, LLC is a comprehensive portfolio of distinctive restaurant brands, including award-winning concepts Jazzman's Café and Pandini's, offering targeted retail opportunities for its brands to independent and multi-site operators of stand-alone locations, as well as locations within shopping centers, strip malls, airports and other venues. As a subsidiary of Sodexho, Inc., and with the experience of more than 525 locations nationwide, Retail Brand Group has branded solutions suited for virtually any venue. From bistros and coffeehouses to upscale pizza, gourmet burgers and authentic ethnic cuisine, Retail Brand Group turns dining into a memorable event. Learn more about the wide variety of fast-casual concepts available for franchising at www.retailbrandgroup.com.
