Second Ruggles Green Restaurant Now Open in Houston's New CITYCENTRE

HOUSTON, Aug. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Green Cafe Management and GJR Partners are pleased to announce that the second Ruggles Green, a Certified Green Restaurant™, is now open in Houston's new CITYCENTRE which is located in the Memorial area of West Houston.  The new Ruggles Green concept was launched a year ago, with the first location off West Alabama street in the Upper Kirby District. The second restaurant is the first of a significant multi-store expansion plan in the greater Houston area.

"Our focus is on using locally grown, all-natural and organic menu items whenever possible," said Co-Founder, Chef Bruce Molzan. "The combination of quality food at a reasonable price, fast service, and a relaxed upscale environment has been a winner in our first location and we look forward to bringing the concept to more Houston locations over the next two years."

"At Ruggles Green, we are learning to operate more efficiently with less environmental impact," added Co-Founder, Federico Marques, and the originator of the idea of combining healthier food with a certified green restaurant.  "We recycle about sixty-five percent of our total waste output, we are more energy efficient, and we continue to find new ways to become greener. Our primary goal, however, is to always provide a great dining experience to our customers. The CITYCENTRE location is perfect for our concept as it's located in a rapidly growing development that is designed for causal living with an abundance of green space."  

Jennifer McGehee, Vice President of GJR Partners, a Houston and Calgary-based private equity group, commented, "Our partnership is pleased to be joining forces with Green Cafe Management to rapidly expand this exciting concept.  We are also pleased that our new CITYCENTRE restaurant has captured many of the elements of the first Ruggles Green location including all-natural and organic food, and high quality moderately priced wine. This is all served in a relaxed atmosphere with contemporary pop music, art, and a great outdoor patio space. Opening the partnership's first restaurant is a major milestone and we are already planning the next location with our Green Cafe Management partners."  

The new Ruggles Green location will continue with the same style menu as its original location in River Oaks. Ruggles Green offers a diverse collection of comfort foods like Spicy Fish Tacos, Warm Goat Cheese Salads, Lean Buffalo Burgers, and Wood-fired Pizzas, with an emphasis on all natural and organic ingredients.  Ruggles Green will also continue to deliver the Ruggles famous desserts that have found a large following in the Houston area.

Ruggles Green is a Certified Green Restaurant™ and conforms to guidelines set by the Green Restaurant Association. Guidelines include an extensive recycling program, no use of styrofoam, energy reduction steps, water conservation steps, use of sustainable materials, public education/outreach, and use of local and organic ingredients in food.

Brad Freels, Midway Companies CEO and CITYCENTRE Developer also commented, "CITYCENTRE is a mixed use development that is targeting innovative retailers and restaurants that bring newness, excitement, and original concepts that appeal to the rapidly growing urban oriented consumers.  We are delighted to have Ruggles Green in our development as their concept fits our target customers perfectly and congratulate them on their opening."

About Ruggles Green:  

Ruggles Green is owned by Green Cafe Management, which was founded by Bruce Molzan, Federico Marques, and Robert Guillerman.  Molzan is a well-known Houston Chef that has been successful in building the Ruggles brand over the last twenty years by combining innovative menus with excellence in food quality.  Federico Marques has a strong background in the concepts and technologies of the rapidly growing green sciences and had the original idea of launching the first certified green restaurant in Houston.  Robert Guillerman brings retail business experience and operational excellence to the venture.  

For more information, visit www.rugglesgreen.com

About GJR Partnership:  

The GJR partnership was formed by a group of Houston and Calgary-based investors to provide the financial and general management to support the Ruggles Green expansion in Houston.  The partnership has a management and license agreement with Green Cafe Management for the rights to own multiple Ruggles Green Restaurants and for Green Cafe Management to provide the in-store operations.  Jennifer McGehee is a Vice President and partner of GJR Partnership and was responsible for raising the original seed capital for the founding Ruggles Green Restaurant, and is GJR's Houston-based operations and marketing executive.    

About CITYCENTRE:

Developed by Midway Companies, CITYCENTRE is a thoughtfully planned and meticulously executed self-contained community of sophisticated retail, elegant dining, Class-A office space, 22 corporate penthouse residences, luxurious brownstones and lofts, upscale apartments and the 244-room Hotel Sorella, a world-class hospitality and conference facility. Surrounded by European-style open-air plazas and beautifully designed green spaces, CITYCENTRE is also home to Life Time Athletic, a state-of-the art urban fitness facility and spa, and Studio Movie Grill, a nine-screen premier cinema. For more information, please visit www.citycentrehouston.com.

SOURCE GJR Partnership