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First franchise Willy's Mexicana Grill to open in Gainesville, Fl.

By Jeremiah Mcwilliams
June 14, 2011

The first franchise Willy's Mexicana Grill will open in Gainesville, Fl. later this year.

Carl Hoover, a major Wendy's franchisee, is opening the burrito restaurant near the University of Florida campus. But Willy Bitter, founder of the 19-restaurant burrito chain named after him, said he is not looking to make a major franchising push.

"It's really more of a test situation to see how it goes," Bitter said. "He had a really good site down there. It's not like I have 20 deals in the works. The deal is for one restaurant."

Bitter said he would evaluate the success of the Gainesville restaurant in six months or a year. "I'm not actively looking for franchisees right now," he said. "But we will seek out well-qualified operating partners if this goes well."

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