The Counter Appoints New Chief Development Officer

(Culver City, CA)—-Finding success in the restaurant industry is a notoriously daunting task; finding the perfect location to make that success possible, however, may be even more difficult. Randy Carucci has seen his fair share of such situations during his nearly 30-year real estate career and, effective October 1st, is lending his expertise to The Counter® as the restaurant chain’s new chief development officer.

“This is an amazing opportunity with an amazing company,” said Carucci. “The Counter is such a unique concept and I can’t wait to spread its word – and taste – from coast to coast.”

Prior to joining The Counter team, Carucci was the driving force behind building Panera Bread’s Southern California region as one of the chain’s senior real estate managers, where he delivered 70 approved sites over three years. Before his position with Panera, Carucci served as the vice president of real estate for Baja Fresh Mexican Grill, overseeing an aggressive national expansion that opened roughly 200 new restaurants in three and a half years and was also an integral player in the growth of Jamba Juice, Sunglass Hut and Cinnabon over the past 10 years. With his new position at The Counter, Carucci will focus on developing real estate and strategically growing the brand across the country by overseeing the development of roughly 25 new restaurants per year for the next three years in markets ranging from Seattle and Dallas to Philadelphia and New York.

“Randy brings great energy, spirit and a wealth of knowledge to our company,” said Jeff Weinstein, founder of The Counter. “We are very excited to have him on our team and are looking forward to seeing what he can do.”

Culver City, Calif.-based The Counter is the 21st-century equivalent to the classic burger joint, offering a fresh, unconventional approach to the American tradition of creating the ultimate premium burger with its inviting industrial décor, today’s music and outstanding food in a laid-back family atmosphere. With more than 312,000 plus ways to build their own beef, chicken, turkey or veggie burger, including three patty sizes, 10 cheeses, 26 toppings, 17 unique sauces and three types of buns, The Counter gives customers the ultimate freedom in creating their meal. The Counter has sold development rights for over 125 restaurants and projections call for 25 new locations in both 2008 and 2009. The number of yearly openings is expected to increase annually as the concept matures. Long-range projections call for as many as 400 to 600 U.S. locations.

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