VERTS Mediterranean Grill Announces Michael Talese as Creative Director

Fast-casual chain initiates design efforts to support rapid brand growth.

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Apr 12, 2017, 07:00 ET

NEW YORK, April 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading fast-casual chain VERTS Mediterranean Grill announced that Michael Talese has joined the leadership team as Creative Director. Working out of VERTS' New York office, Talese will build and lead the VERTS design team.

"Michael is a fast-casual brand visionary and we are thrilled to have him lead our creative direction," said Michael Heyne, VERTS Co-founder and Co-CEO. "We are focused on building a modern, best in class fast-casual 2.0 brand and Michael will be a driving force behind this mission."

Previous to VERTS, Talese was a Senior Designer at Chipotle Mexican Grill where he focused on a full digital refresh, updated their mobile ordering app and assisted in moving Chipotle.com to a fully customizable CMS backend. In addition to these projects, he was crucial in the creation and brand development of Chipotle's growth seed restaurants that include Pizzeria Locale and Tasty Made.

"VERTS' aggressive growth plan and ambition is unrivaled," said Talese, "I'm ready to utilize my experience in fast-casual to shape the creative expression of this thriving brand."

In addition to hiring Talese, VERTS has partnered with Gin Lane, a renowned New York creative agency who has worked with iconic lifestyle brands such as Whole Foods Market, Nike and Warby Parker. Over the next few months, Talese will work with their team of designers and strategists to reshape and fine-tune the brand's voice and tone.

This Summer, VERTS will unveil a fresh restaurant interior produced by CORE architecture + design, inc. The recent Creative Director hire and design partnerships will support VERTS' plans on growing to 45 restaurants by end of 2017.

About VERTS Mediterranean Grill
Listed amongst CNBC's top 10 hot restaurant brands to watch, VERTS is an award-winning restaurant concept that delivers on its mission to become the culinary leader in fast-casual Mediterranean food by serving chef-inspired pitas, bowls and salads. Teams in each one of our restaurants' kitchens prepare savory, healthy food from scratch daily using fresh, all natural ingredients.

Millennial co-founders Michael Heyne and Dominik Stein launched VERTS in 2011 with the simple idea of recreating the popular food they missed from their native Europe and making it available for American consumers. Stein was recently recognized as one of Forbes 30 Under 30 for 2017 and Heyne was featured on the cover of QSR Magazine in September 2016. VERTS currently has 28 locations across Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, Boston and New York City. The company is undergoing a major expansion across the U.S. and plans to open 200 restaurants by 2020 including openings in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. amongst several new markets. To learn more, please visit us at www.eatverts.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.