The Hummus & Pita Co. has named former McAlister’s Deli executive Matt Sheppard (left) as chief operations officer.
Sheppard previously held the positions of senior director of company operations and vice president of franchise operations at McAlister’s Deli.
New York City-based Hummus & Pita Co. also named Lauren Ressa as director of operations. She was most recently a training and operations consultant at Operational Excellence LLC. Before that, she was director of food services at Restaurant Associations and director of training at Energy Kitchen.
Three-unit Hummus & Pita Co., which specializes in Mediterranean items such as hummus, falafel and gyros served in wraps and bowls, is working with franchise development firm Fransmart to expand. Deals have been signed to grow in the greater New York City area and Denver.
Rishi Parikh & Group has committed to opening multiple units of the fast-casual chain in Connecticut and New York, with plans for later development in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Its first Hummus & Pita Co. is slated to open in early 2018, in Danbury, Conn.
Additionally, Rachid Elmrini, a Denver-based real estate investor and owner of the nightclub Mynt, who has experimented with fast-casual restaurants in the past, has signed a deal to open five Hummus & Pita Co. locations in the Denver area starting early next year.
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