This perennial Future 50 entrant was founded by two neighbors who teamed up to buy a family-owned Greek restaurant in Henderson, Nev., back in 2016. Within a month, they considered opening another location, and soon after that, they began franchising the concept. Great Greek now has locations from coast to coast. And despite its rapid growth, Great Greek’s family recipes have not changed since the day owners Nick Della Penna and Trent Jones took over.
The United Franchise Group subsidiary acquired Florida-based Cannoli Kitchen Pizza, launched a new division called Big Flavor Brands and rebranded its coworking franchise network, CoWorks, as Vast Coworking Group.
The fast-casual restaurant features a modern take on traditional Mediterranean dishes, serving gyros, souvlaki plates, feta fries, salads, housemade dips and desserts. The Cedar Park location offers indoor and outdoor seating; pickup, delivery and catering options; and free Wi-Fi.
Co-owners Kristine and Brian Ellis opened a new location of The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill on Bend’s east side on Labor Day to a line out the door. The steady stream of business was a relief for Kristine, who wasn’t sure how the restaurant would be received. It ran out of food and had to close early on its first day, followed by four days of business with shortened hours as the Ellis’ continued to ramp up with staff and food orders. “We’re starting to hit our stride,” Kristine said last week.
It wasn’t too long ago that the much-anticipated Cascade Lakes Pub on Reed Market opened its doors for east siders (and others) to enjoy. Now, the business plaza that’s home to Cascade Lakes east is also home to a fast-casual Mediterranean grill.
