Second Ruggles Green Restaurant to Open in Houston's New CityCentre

HOUSTON, Jan. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- GJR Partnership and Green Cafe Management are pleased to announce the opening of a second Ruggles Green, a Certified Green Restaurant™, in Houston's new CityCentre.  Located in the Memorial area of West Houston, the second Ruggles Green restaurant is planned to open in early 2010.  The new Ruggles Green concept was launched a year ago, with the first location off West Alabama in the Upper Kirby District.  

"Our focus is on using locally grown, all-natural and organic menu items whenever practical," said Co-Founder, Chef Bruce Molzan.  "Our customers have been very happy with the product and overall experience we deliver, and the success of our first Ruggles Green restaurant has exceeded our expectations.  We are excited to team-up with the GJR Partners, who are helping us rapidly expand the Ruggles Green restaurant concept to multiple locations in the greater Houston area."

"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.

Jennifer McGehee, VP President of GJR Partners, a Houston and Calgary-based private equity group, commented, "Our partnership is pleased to be joining forces with Ruggles Green, starting with the CityCentre location.  We quickly identified that the combination of the impressive Ruggles brand, the focus on an innovative and high-quality organic menu by Houston's well-known Chef Bruce Molzan, and operating a Green Restaurant was a winning combination.  The premium, fast, healthy cuisine that the Ruggles Green founders pioneered has hit the sweet spot of the restaurant market, where people seek high-quality food at a lower price, and in a causal atmosphere."

The new Ruggles Green location will continue with the same style menu as its original location in River Oaks offering 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. "Ruggles Green is off to a great start in becoming more environmentally sustainable, and we're thrilled about their Certified Green Restaurant™ status," says Michael Oshman, Executive Director of the Green Restaurant Association. "We commend Ruggles Green for the steps they've taken and look forward to helping them continue to pioneer the Green Restaurant concept even more."

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."

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.  

Ruggles Green are Certified Green Restaurants that conform 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.

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 Ruggles Green Restaurants and for Green Cafe Management to provide the in-store operations.  Jennifer McGehee is a VP 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