HIGHLAND PARK, IL--(Marketwired - May 14, 2015) - The Simple Greek, a fast casual Greek and Mediterranean restaurant chain, announced today that it is open for business at 478 Central Avenue in Highland Park, Illinois. Customers are invited to enjoy authentic Greek and Mediterranean cuisine flavors for lunch and dinner daily from 11:00am to 9:00pm. The Simple Greek will also celebrate with an open house event this Saturday, May 16th from noon to 2:00pm to welcome patrons to the establishment.
"Coming from a Greek family, I am particularly excited to bring this dining experience to the wonderful community of Highland Park and give our customers reasonable prices and convenient access to great food," said Marcus Lemonis, partner and host of CNBC's The Profit. "We are very excited to expand The Simple Greek franchise into new areas in the United States, and look forward to sharing our delicious and fresh food with the North Shore municipality of Highland Park and neighboring communities."
Lemonis' relationship with the restaurant began when the My Big Fat Greek Gyro Pittsburgh chain was featured on his hit CNBC reality series, The Profit, where Lemonis turns around small struggling businesses and buys an ownership stake in the companies. Lemonis partnered with founders Michael Ference and Kathleen Kamouyerou-Ference, who fulfilled their dream of opening a Greek restaurant 10 years ago when they opened the McMurray, PA location.
As a result of the new partnership, the owners became more hands-on with their franchises and together they rebranded the chain as The Simple Greek, with an open assembly line model for gyros, salads and plentiful sides. All current locations also underwent extensive renovations to revamp the storefronts and develop a new friendly and modernized sit down eating area for customers. The Highland Park, IL location is the first new franchise to open since the partnership began.
The menu at The Simple Greek restaurant in Highland Park highlights Mediterranean dishes as well as desserts. Diners can savor plates such as traditional gyros or souvlaki served with fresh toppings in a warm pita and spanakopita on the side, or a steak and rice bowl garnished with cucumber yogurt sauce and fresh hummus. Authentic Greek salads and soups are other favorites that will be available daily.
For more information on The Simple Greek, or if you are interested in franchising opportunities across the country, please visit www.thesimplegreek.com.
Tune in to season 3 of CNBC's The Profit on Tuesday nights at 10pm ET/PT to watch Lemonis as he saves struggling businesses across the country. Check local listings for more information.
The Simple Greek
The Simple Greek is a fast and casual restaurant chain, preparing fresh, handmade dishes to order for customers in an assembly-style line. Proudly featuring the authentic flavors and spices of Greece and the Mediterranean seaboard, the menu features dishes including pitas, rice and salad bowls with a variety of proteins, toppings and several sides to choose from at an affordable price. The signature gyro features a hearty blend of seasoned lamb and beef, cooked on a traditional broiler and sliced into thin strips, and is generously filled into a hand-made warm pita topped with lettuce, tomato, onion and a special homemade sauce. The Simple Greek prepares all meats and ingredients daily to ensure the highest level of quality and freshness.
The Simple Greek chain currently consists of four locations; three locations throughout the greater Pittsburg, PA area and a new facility in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, IL. For more information, and to inquire about franchising opportunities, visit www.TheSimpleGreek.com.
About Marcus Lemonis
Marcus Lemonis is an entrepreneur, investor, television personality, and chairman and CEO of Marcus Lemonis LLC as well as Camping World and Good Sam Enterprises. Camping World is the nation's largest RV and outdoor retailer, and Good Sam is the world's largest RV owner's organization. Visit www.campingworld.com
Lemonis is also known as the "business turnaround king" and host of CNBC's prime time reality series, The Profit, in which he lends his expertise to struggling small businesses around the country and judges businesses based on a "Three P" principle: People, Process, and Product. The Profit airs Tuesdays at 10pm ET/PT on CNBC.
More about Marcus Lemonis can be found at http://www.marcuslemonis.com, Facebook https://www.facebook.com/marcus.lemonis and Twitter @MarcusLemonis.
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