If thoughts of pita wraps, fresh-made hummus, and honey-glazed baklava are enough to get your mouth watering, prepare yourself for some exciting news. A fast-growing restaurant chain that serves all of these craveable items could be headed to your part of the country as it gears up to open hundreds of new locations in the United States.
The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, a fast-casual concept that emphasizes fresh, authentic ingredients, just announced several major growth milestones and goals for the future. It opened seven new locations during the first half of 2024, including in San Diego; Vestavia Hills, Ala,; Danville, Calif.; Roswell, Ga.; Pleasant Grove, Utah; and Maitland and Tampa, Fla. Additionally, it recently expanded into Canada for the first time with the debut of a new restaurant in Toronto.
The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill will accelerate its growth throughout the rest of 2024, with plans to open an additional 25 restaurants by the end of the year. These openings will include the brand’s first-ever locations in several states, including New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. In the long term, the chain plans to expand its footprint with hundreds of additional new locations.
According to the announcement published by QSR Magazine, The Great Greek has a whopping 270 new stores in its development pipeline right now. While the full timeline for all of the openings wasn’t specified, the chain said it expects to surpass the 100-restaurant milestone in 2025. Currently, it operates 54 locations across 17 states.
“Our growth in the first half of 2024 is a testament to the strength of our brand and our development strategy and positions us for even greater momentum in this second half of the year,” Bob Andersen, president of The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, said in a statement. “Our continued success is a direct reflection of our dedicated and passionate franchise owners who take our brand to new heights each day. We’re excited for the trajectory we’re on and look forward to breaking more records the remainder of this year and into 2025.”
The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill isn’t the only Greek or Mediterranean chain that’s expanding at a rapid pace. Fellow fast-casual chain Nick the Greek recently inked three development deals that will see 13 new restaurants open across Salt Lake City, Utah; Nashville, Tenn.; and San Diego, Calif. Additionally, the wildly popular Mediterranean concept Cava plans to open between 54 to 57 net new restaurants in 2024. It also has a longer-term goal of reaching 1,000 restaurants by 2032.