New, "greener" Uno Restaurant Opens In Plattsburgh

By: Uno Pizzeria & Gril | 0 Shares 429 Reads

Open floor plan, Wood Stone oven, dramatic lounge and environmentally-friendly features are key highlights of this new franchise

June 15, 2011 // Franchising.com // PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – A brand new Uno's, the casual dining restaurant with a deep focus on intense flavor in both indulgent and delicious and nutritious dining options, opens today in Plattsburgh. The environmentally-friendly new restaurant is a franchise, owned by prominent business people Pat and Diane Akey of Plattsburgh, and represents the latest iteration in Uno's interior design evolution that balances Uno's traditional warmth with an inviting yet contemporary style.

"We are pleased to bring the city of Plattsburgh a unique dining experience," says Pat Akey, owner of the new Uno's franchise and a lifelong resident of Plattsburgh. "We think our guests will be wowed when they walk in the door by everything from the dramatic lounge to the Wood Stone oven baking fresh, hand-stretched thin crust pizzas. We've got a covered patio, a great dining room with an adjoining banquet room, and a matrix TV that dominates one end of the building. They're going to find an Uno's that is inviting and environmentally friendly, and the hospitality for which Uno's is famous."

While this is the first Uno's franchise for the Akeys, they were franchisees of another major restaurant in Plattsburgh for 25 years, a Microtel Inn and Suites and, for the last two years, a beautifully-appointed Hampton Inn. Pat Akey has been named franchisee of the year on several occasions and is known for his business acumen and attention to detail.

"I'm pleased to welcome Uno Chicago Grill. I believe this restaurant will help fill a void for the community and Champlain Valley," says Bernie Bassett, supervisor for the Town of Plattsburgh. "The partnership between Uno's and the Akey family is a good one that represents quality and a history of successful development, a winning combination."

Of the more than 150 Uno restaurants globally, about 70 of them are franchise operations. Uno's franchise operations are part of the Uno family – operating under the same philosophy and sharing best practices.

"Franchises are an important part of our business. Good franchisees help us grow the business, provide innovative thinking and share best practices that make us stronger," says Fred Houston, Uno's vice president of franchise operations. "This is an exciting new partnership because Pat and Diane have values that are in sync with ours – taking pride in their restaurants and doing the right thing for the business, employees and the community."

Along with the intensely flavorful food and heartfelt hospitality that sets Uno's apart, Plattsburgh guests will also experience a variety of new Uno restaurant features and green initiatives. Green initiatives at the restaurant include LED lighting that uses less energy and lasts longer than traditional bulbs, carpet that is made from 80% recycled materials and is 100% recyclable, hands-free restrooms with water efficient fixtures that save an estimated 40,000 gallons of water per year, and pizza ovens which use 30 percent less gas, reducing their carbon footprint.

Other features that make visiting this restaurant a unique experience include an open-view pizza and salad station that lets diners watch their meal being prepared, a granite pizza bar facing the Wood Stone oven that is used to bake thin crust pizzas, a spacious lounge area featuring a huge matrix flat screen TV, a large function room with space for over 60 guests, a covered patio for outdoor dining with multiple televisions, a double-sided fireplace that adds ambience to both the patio and the function room, a Chill-Rite draft beer system that pours the coldest beer in town, and free wireless Internet.

The restaurant offers the new menu just introduced at all Uno locations, featuring classic items like the deep dish pizza Uno's invented in 1943, their famous Rattlesnake Pasta and Deep Dish Cookie Sundae, fresh hand-made burgers and the best steaks in casual dining, all of which are Certified Angus Beef. The menu also features new indulgent items such as deep dish mac and three cheese and new delicious and nutritious items such as chicken broccoli with lemon pesto or fig, broccoli and goat cheese pizza on an all-natural five-grain thin crust. All pasta dishes can be ordered with whole-grain penne and most come in a small plate option. For lunch, there is a special "Two for You" mix-and-match menu that includes a variety of soups, sandwiches, salads and pizzas to create a custom lunch experience guaranteed in just ten minutes. There will also be special snack hours in the lounge area from 4-7pm and after 10pm Sunday through Friday, and live entertainment on the patio July 7 through Labor Day, seven days a week from 6 to 9PM.

The new Plattsburgh Uno's invites all guests to come as they are, pull up a chair and stay as long as they like. The store is located at 578 Route 3 in the Town of Plattsburgh and hours are 11AM to midnight Monday through Saturday and 11AM to 11PM on Sunday.

ABOUT UNO'S

Uno Restaurant Holdings Corporation includes over 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. Based in Boston, 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 a fast casual concept called Uno Dué Go, a quick service concept called Uno Express and a consumer packaged foods business which supplies airlines, movie theatres, hotels, airports, travel plazas, schools and supermarkets with both frozen and refrigerated private-label foods and Uno branded products. For more information, visit www.unos.com.

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