Growing restaurant brand VertsKebap will open the doors to its first San Marcos, Texas, location Saturday, January 16.

The chain’s newest restaurant, located at 301 N. Guadalupe St., marks its 12th location in the greater Austin area and is an important step in the company’s mission to become the leader in fast-casual Mediterranean food.

VertsKebap will celebrate the launch of the San Marcos restaurant with a grand opening event on January 16 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Anyone who attends the grand opening will receive one free, full-size entrée. The restaurant will also give away eight $25 gift cards in a raffle. More prizes will be awarded through a social media contest.

“San Marcos is a growing, vibrant city and we couldn’t be more proud to become part of the community,” says VertsKebap cofounder and CEO Michael Heyne. “We’re excited to make fresh, flavorful, high-quality Mediterranean food an option to local residents.”

VertsKebap will donate 100 percent of sales on Saturday to the Hays County Food Bank. Guests who purchase sides or drinks throughout the day will be happy to know that their money is going back into their community.

“Last year, the Hays County Food Bank distributed 690,397 pounds of food to an average of over 12,000 food insecure residents a month,” says Hays County Food Bank executive director Denise Blok. “Every donation helps, and we are grateful to have such wonderful community supporters dedicated to helping us fulfill our mission in feeding hungry people in Hays County.”

VertsKebap San Marcos is the 27th location for the restaurant brand in Texas. The company will continue to expand in Texas in 2016, with plans to open another 10 to 12 locations across Dallas, Austin, Houston, and San Antonio. VertsKebap will open its first out-of-state location this summer when it launches on the East Coast. Overall, the fast casual Mediterranean plans to open at least 20 new restaurants in 2016.