Villa Fresh Italian Kitchen opens in Puerto Rico

Villa Enterprises Management has announced the opening of its first Villa Fresh Italian Kitchen quick-service restaurant locations in Puerto Rico. The company will open two stores in Carolina, Puerto Rico, at the Plaza Carolina Mall this week.

Plaza Carolina Mall is Puerto Rico's second largest shopping center, featuring more than 200 retail stores. One of the two Villa Fresh Italian Kitchen stores offers pizza, strombolis and calzones, while the other offers a wide array of pasta dishes, paninis and the company's signature "pick and mix" salad bar — all made fresh daily.

"We are very excited about our new venture in Puerto Rico and the opportunities it opens up for Villa Enterprises throughout the Caribbean," said Anthony Scotto, CEO of Villa Enterprises Management, in a news release. "We already have a number of additional store locations in development for Puerto Rico and plan to bring our GreenLeaf's and Bananas concepts to the island by January 2011."

The new stores in Puerto Rico bring the total of international locations for Villa Enterprises to 27, with 10 of those locations represented in Mexico and Puerto Rico. The company plans to continue its aggressive international expansion efforts for 2010, targeting Mexico and Puerto Rico in particular.

Global multi-concept restaurant franchisor Villa Enterprises Management has 322 QSR locations across 38 U.S. states and six countries.

The company owns five unique QSR brands: Villa Fresh Italian Kitchen (formerly Villa Pizza), Green Leaf's, Bananas, Casa Java and South Philly Steak & Fries. These brands can be found in malls, airports, casinos, college campuses and outlet centers across the U.S. and internationally.