Denver-based Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill, a fast-casual restaurant concept offering fresh, healthy and authentic Mediterranean cuisine, announced today the promotion of Bob Bafundo to vice president of company and franchise operations.
“An integral part of the Garbanzo family since 2009, Bob has played a significant role in growing the company within Colorado and building a solid operational base market-wide,” says Alon Mor, Garbanzo founder, president and CEO. “Along with Colorado growth, Bob has also been steadfastly focusing on franchise development and nationwide expansion. Garbanzo is quickly moving into new franchise markets across the country thanks to Bob’s hard work and dedication.”
As vice president of company and franchise operations, Bafundo will continue to focus on top level operational practices and bringing on quality franchise partners to help introduce Garbanzo to new communities nationwide.
With more than 30 years in the restaurant industry, Bafundo is a senior operations executive with extensive experience in all aspects of quick service and fast-casual restaurant management. Bafundo began his career as a restaurant manager and quickly moved up through the operations ranks into positions such as senior vice president of franchising/development and senior vice president of operations for Rax Restaurants, Inc. in Columbus, Ohio. He also served as senior director of operations for KFC National Management Company in Atlanta, Ga., and later as senior vice president of operations for Back Yard Burgers, Inc. in Nashville, Tenn. A franchisee himself for several years in Georgia, Bafundo’s broad experience in restaurant ownership, management, operations and franchising made him well positioned for joining the Garbanzo family in August 2009 as director of franchise development and operations. Bafundo earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio.
For more information on Bafundo, please contact Beth Hardy at beth.hardy@eatgarbanzo.com or (828) 308-6119.
Garbanzo offers guests a variety of authentic Mediterranean items with an emphasis on flavor, freshness and quality, as well as a healthy trans-fat free menu. Guests have the ability to customize every meal with items such as pita, laffa, falafel, shwarma, hummus, seasoned rice, sauces and dressings. All Garbanzo salads and sauces are prepared on-site daily, and the pita are made from scratch throughout the day in every restaurant. Additionally, several ingredients are bought locally and some are imported directly from the Mediterranean region. For more information about Garbanzo, visit www.EatGarbanzo.com.
