America's most environmentally-friendly restaurant bringing organic pizza to Naperville
September 02, 2008 // Franchising.com // Naperville, Ill., - Pizza Fusion (www.pizzafusion.com), the most environmentally friendly restaurant in America, will be opening in Naperville at 2555 W 75th St #123, Naperville, IL 60540. Pizza Fusion, which builds all of its restaurants to LEED certification standards, will reside next to Whole Foods in the Springbrook Prairie Pavilion - the first retail development in Du Page County to pursue LEED Silver Certification. Entrepreneur Tom Katsenos is the franchisee behind Pizza Fusion's new Chicago area location.
"Being in the restaurant business my entire life, I was attracted to Pizza Fusion's combination of socially responsible restaurant service and delicious organic menu," Katsenos explains. "Serving people is a joy for me. Now I can do this is while contributing the preservation of this precious planet of ours. Naperville has definitely embraced the environmental movement and Pizza Fusion will be a phenomenal partner in the city's cause."
Pizza Fusion, whose motto is 'Saving the Earth, One Pizza at a Time,' practices an eco-friendly approach to their entire existence, including their restaurants' buildout, service and overall operations. Through building all of their restaurants to LEED certification standards, delivering their food in company owned hybrid vehicles, and offsetting 100% of their power consumption with the purchase of renewable energy certificates (among many other things), Pizza Fusion is setting the standard for sustainable restaurant practices as the most eco-friendly restaurant in America.
Pizza Fusion is considering likeminded franchisee candidates to open 40 planned locations throughout the Chicago area over the next five years. Currently, the company has over 75 restaurants opening in 15 states across the U.S.
"We're very excited to branch out to the Chicago area as it's a major target for our national expansion," Vaughan Lazar, CEO and co-founder of Pizza Fusion, continues. "I believe our tasty organic pizzas and sustainable approach to restaurant service will be warmly accepted by the area's residents. We're proud to have Tom as a part of our family. His expertise will be an asset with introducing Pizza Fusion to the Chicago market while providing Naperville residents with a delicious means of supporting the environment."
In the United States, restaurants are the top electricity consumer among retail businesses, accounting for 33% of the total consumption. Each restaurant produces an average of 50,000 pounds of waste per year. Pizza Fusion's LEED certified restaurants reduce water waste by 40 percent and electricity consumption by 20 percent annually. The chain's LEED certified restaurants feature a number of unique, eco-efficient products, techniques and designs, including eliminating the use of water heaters and air heating units by recycling heat from their ovens to heat the water in the restaurants. Pizza Fusion restaurants' other eco-elements include countertops made from 100% recycled detergent bottles, bamboo flooring, 30% recaptured industrial concrete, ceiling panels made from 74% recycled aluminum cans and 24% post industrial metals, USG Gypsum Board made from pre-used drywall, insulation made from recycled blue jeans, ceiling baffles made from recycled composite board, low voltage and low heat lighting, seat cushions made with soybean oil, furniture made from reclaimed wood and much more – all the way down to the 100 percent post consumer toilet paper in their bathrooms.
Tom and his wife Sophia have lived in the Chicago area all their lives. Tom has more than 20 years of restaurant experience backed by a B.S. in Marketing from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He's currently a member of the Naperville Chamber of Commerce and Naperville for Clean Energy and Conservation. Tom has also enrolled in Naperville's Renewable Energy Program.
About Pizza Fusion
Founded in the best interest of the individual and the environment, Pizza Fusion combines a fresh, organic menu with an industry-leading environmental approach to restaurant service in chic dining destinations built to LEED certification standards. Pizza Fusion specializes in a full-service approach to gourmet pizza, ciabatta sandwiches, salads, desserts, and organic beers and wines, all in their purest form - untainted by artificial additives, such as pesticides, preservatives, antibiotics and hormones. With numerous franchises opening across the U.S., Pizza Fusion is well on its way to 'saving the earth, one pizza at a time.' For additional information, visit: www.pizzafusion.com.
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