Boston-based Uno's To Expand Uno Due Go With Location In Downtown Boston

Boston-based Uno's will open the flagship location of Uno Due Go (pronounced Uno doo-ay go), the company's fast-casual cafe concept, at 52 Summer Street in downtown Boston in mid-October. This is the first corporate-owned location of the highly successful three-year-old concept. The opening of the Boston location is on the heels of the announcement that a franchisee of successful restaurants at the Dallas Fort Worth airport, FGR Food Corporation, is planning to open 30 new Uno Due Go locations across the state of Texas � the largest franchise deal in Uno's 68-year history.

"At Uno Due Go, we're passionate about food and it took months to develop this menu," says Jamie Strobino, Uno's senior vice president, new concept development. "For example, to create our grilled cheese sandwich, we set out on a journey that became a three-month odyssey and took us to six states. What we ended up with is the world's best grilled cheese sandwich. When you bite into it, you remember your mom making those gooey, golden, grilled cheese sandwiches and because it's got oven-roasted tomatoes built into it, you also taste the tomato soup you dipped them into." "Everything we serve has a story," continues Strobino. "Take our muffins - they were inspired by some of our favorite Uno's cocktails such as the cranberry pomegranate 'margarita', the Callebaut chocolate mint 'mudslide' and the lemon drop 'martini'. They're non-alcoholic but the intensity and flavor complexity is what makes them intoxicating." The fusion retail display at Uno Due Go features carefully chosen menu items, most of which are unique to the concept � such as a prosciutto, fig and cheddar sourdough bread panini, the Tum Yum chopped vegetable salad and a vegetarian black bean burger wrap. There are sandwiches on freshly-baked artisan bread, a rotating soup bar, build-your-own salads, an amazing array of breakfast items including souffles, breakfast sandwiches, and organic and fair-trade coffee. And, of course, they didn't forget what brought them to the dance: the out-of-this-world Uno's deep dish and thin crust pizzas on all-natural crusts like the seasonal apple, bacon and Vermont Cabot Cheddar pizza.

Because of its location, the Boston Redevelopment Authority is looking at the striking, unique concept as a way to help revitalize Downtown Crossing. Between building and staffing it, the location will also bring 60 jobs to the area. "Uno Due Go represents the future of high-quality fast-casual dining, where the guest wants interesting selections with the best ingredients, the most expert preparation, with the most delightful presentation, all served in a timeframe that meets their needs and with a value as good as they can get anywhere," says Frank Guidara, president and CEO of Uno's and creator of the Uno Due Go concept.

Whenever possible, the ingredients used are all natural, organic and locally-sourced within a 300-mile radius, which not only helps ensure the freshness and quality of the food but also reduces the carbon footprint of each location. For the 52 Summer Street location, for example, Uno Due Go will use humanely-raised pork from a pig farmer in New Hampshire, granola from Maine, and grains grown and organic coffee roasted in Massachusetts.

Uno Due Go first opened in December of 2008 with two locations in the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, and has since opened locations at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater and Cleveland State University. All are extremely successful with the Dallas-Fort Worth airport locations showing three years of double-digit sales growth since the day they opened.

"When we developed the concept, we merged three customer needs: the ability to either get in and out in a hurry or to linger and relax, the great-tasting, high-quality, nutritionally-balanced food we know they crave, and the hospitality they expect and deserve. Those ideas, combined with a healthy dose of concern for the environment, are what make this concept so special and successful," said Guidara.

Uno Due Go is a member of the Green Restaurant Association and is kicking off the use of "greener" restaurant equipment to cut down on water and energy consumption with this new Boston location. Because of Uno's intense focus on nutrition and caring for guests with food allergies, a comprehensive guide to all menu items and ingredients will be available on an electronic kiosk in each location. It will also have wi-fi, meeting space and the soothing smell of fresh bread baking in a giant Wood Stone oven that serves as a centerpiece.

While the 52 Summer Street location is being developed, guests can also follow the journey through blog postings that provide a unique perspective into selecting farmers, creating the menu, and choosing "greener" equipment.

The opening of this Uno Due Go is a part of Uno's overall growth story. Uno's has new full-service restaurants opening both domestically and internationally, and is gaining momentum in its quick service concept, Uno Express, and its consumer packaged foods line, Uno Foods.

ABOUT UNO'S Based in Boston, Massachusetts, with 28 locations and approximately 1,700 employees within the state, Uno Restaurant Holdings Corporation includes 150 company-owned and franchised restaurants located in 24 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Honduras, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, and approximately 9,000 employees worldwide. Uno's mission is to deliver intensely flavorful, delicious and nutritious food in an environment of heartfelt hospitality, and was named America‟s Healthiest Chain Restaurant by Health magazine. The Company also operates fast casual Uno Due Go cafes, a quick service concept called Uno Express and Uno Foods, their consumer package and foodservice manufacturing division. For more information, visit www.unos.com.

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