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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