Taziki's Mediterranean Café, a fast-casual Greek food-inspired chain launched in 1998 and headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, is slated to open at least 20 additional restaurants in 2014.

 

“Our company saw enormous growth last year,” says Jim Keet, managing partner and CEO of Taziki’s. “We started franchising, which has provided Taziki’s the opportunity to build a larger presence throughout the United States.”

 

The company currently has plans in 2014 to open additional restaurants in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia, expanding its footprint to 12 states.

 

The newest location opened in Bentonville, Arkansas, in late December.

 

“It is the largest restaurant we’ve opened, with 3,400 square-feet and seating for 130 customers,” Keet says.

 

The new Bentonville Taziki’s includes patio seating and a drive-thru window, an amenity Keet expects to bring to additional locations soon, as a way to compete for business during the lunch rush. To highlight the Bentonville grand opening, the restaurant made a donation to the local Boys and Girls Club.

 

“Taziki’s believes in giving back to our local communities in a wide-variety of ways,” says Keith Richards, founder of Taziki's Café. “We have always been focused on building partnerships and providing healthy imaginative food to our patrons.”