FLORIDA ENTREPRENEURS TEAM WITH LA SALSA FRESH MEXICAN GRILL®
 A pair of Florida entrepreneurial groups are preparing to create a series of new La Salsa Fresh Mexican Grill restaurants throughout the state in conjunction with La Salsa and its parent company, CKE Restaurants, Inc (NYSE: CKR). According to La Salsa’s chief operating officer, Amir Siddiqi, La Salsa has inked new multi-unit franchise development and expansion agreements with REF Holdings LLC of Jacksonville, Fla and South Florida Cafés Inc. of Plantation, Fla. Effective immediately, REF Holdings LLC is moving forward with plans to develop seven new La Salsa restaurants in the Jacksonville metro area while South Florida Cafés Inc. will begin augmenting its two existing locations with the first location of three new restaurants being situated in Florida’s largest upscale shopping arena, the Oasis at the Sawgrass Mills Mall, in summer 2005.
“We are delighted to be entering into new franchise development in Florida with such distinguished entrepreneurial groups and look forward to tapping their past experience to establish a stronger presence in the state,” said Siddiqi, who revealed that La Salsa is gearing up for a new effort to launch the La Salsa concept in new and previously untapped markets across the nation. “We have no doubt that Florida’s residents and visitors soon will be experiencing all that La Salsa Fresh Mexican Grill has to offer.”
Multi-unit development is a compelling opportunity for experienced restaurant operators and entrepreneurs alike who are interested in entering the “fresh Mexican” genre. Under the multi-unit plan, franchisees must commit to franchising three or more La Salsa restaurants, formulate a timeline outlining their window of development, and post development fees in advance to ensure territory acquisition. Among the benefits of becoming a franchisee are employee/management training conducted by La Salsa staff, site selection services, construction assistance, and ongoing marketing, advertising and public relations support.
“We are very excited about our plans to develop new La Salsa restaurant locations in South Florida,” said Stephen McDowell, president of South Florida Cafés Inc. and long-time restaurant industry veteran. McDowell, who operates thriving La Salsa locations in the cities of West Palm Beach and Ft. Lauderdale, continued, “We are committed to creating strong ‘A plus’ locations throughout Palm Beach, Broward and Dade Counties and offering our guests a dining experience that is both delicious and enjoyable.”
“Jacksonville is a growing area with tremendous opportunity for La Salsa’s fresh and innovative menu offerings,” added Eric Farr, vice president of REF Holdings. Farr said that the company is preparing to debut its first La Salsa location in late summer 2005 in Jacksonville adjacent to one of north Florida’s largest shopping centers, the Regency Square Mall.
La Salsa Fresh Mexican Grill, is a wholly owned subsidiary of CKE Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE: CKR) of Carpinteria, Calif. With more than 100 locations, La Salsa restaurants may be found throughout California, Nevada, Arizona, Indiana, Colorado, Texas, Connecticut and Florida. For more information, visit www.lasalsa.com.
As of the fiscal year ended January 31, 2005, CKE Restaurants, Inc., through its subsidiaries, had a total of 3,166 franchised or company-owned restaurants in 44 states and in 11 countries, including 1,014 Carl's Jr. restaurants, 2,034 Hardee's restaurants and 101 La Salsa Fresh Mexican Grill restaurants. For more information, visit www.ckr.com.
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