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

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."

Get the news faster! Follow the AJC's restaurant coverage on Twitter.

About the Author

Jeremiah Mcwilliams

Alpharetta-based veterans nonprofit receives $10M cryptocurrency donation

Hire Heroes USA will use the funding to help about 14,000 veterans and military spouses with one-on-one career coaching and to establish a new fintech pathway for its clients.

Trilith teams up with comedy hitmaker to expand focus beyond blockbusters

The partnership will allow American High to scale its output and guarantees Trilith a steady slate of productions occupying its stages.

After Hyundai raid, Trump doesn’t want to ‘frighten off’ foreign investment

President Donald Trump is trying to reassure foreign companies that their investment is wanted stateside despite the recent implications of immigration raids.

The Latest

Credit: Miguel Martinez

Opinion: Charging EVs away from home keeps getting easier

Hyundai’s Georgia electric vehicle plant: What you need to know

OPINION

EV tax credits end in September. Here are the cars that qualify.

Featured

Credit: Jason.Getz@ajc.com

A Braves fan took a ball to the face. The team may be liable, judges say.

The Atlanta Braves and former right fielder Jorge Soler face a lawsuit by a fan hit in the eye with a ball during a World Series game at Truist Park in 2021.

Joro spiders multiply across Georgia, spinning their pesky webs

The invasive species has multiplied rapidly in Atlanta in the last three years, research shows.

Ford settles billion-dollar Georgia lawsuits over fatal wrecks

Ford Motor Co. has settled two Georgia lawsuits that elicited record-setting jury verdicts of $1.7 billion and $2.5 billion, ending more than a decade of litigation.

News

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