Organic, eco-friendly restaurant chain pushes West Coast expansion with entrance into Seattle market

 

Seattle, Wash., July 15, 2008 – Pizza Fusion (www.pizzafusion.com), America’s most environmentally friendly restaurant chain, is bringing socially conscious restaurant service to Seattle with the opening of Washington’s first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified restaurant (http://www.usgbc.org/LEED/Project/RegisteredProjectListDetail.aspx?ID=10223687). Following the opening of San Diego’s first LEED certified restaurant, Pizza Fusion Seattle, scheduled to open this October, will be located in the new Trace Lofts at 12th and Madison in Capitol Hill. Kevin York and Casey Seremek are the eco-entrepreneurs behind Pizza Fusion’s new Seattle location.

 

“Pizza Fusion’s industry leading sustainable approach to restaurant service is what attracted us to their unique business model. We were seeking a business that would provide an opportunity to do our part in the preservation of the Puget Sound region for future generations to enjoy in the years ahead,” states Kevin. “Pizza Fusion provided the opportunity to combine our professional backgrounds with our desire for a socially responsible business operation. We are proud to introduce Pizza Fusion’s healthful, organic, sustainable approach to Seattle’s diverse dining scene.”

 

Pizza Fusion’s Seattle restaurant will feature decorum that incorporates the reuse of materials procured from various landmarks in and around the city. Kevin and Casey proactively sought out a number of local, reusable elements to spice up the earth friendly décor of their first sustainable restaurant. For example, the dining chairs, tables, and barstools were obtained from the recently closed Sunset Bowl in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. The hardwood flooring in the restaurant was acquired from Earthwise Architectural Salvage that came out of Garfield High School located in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood.  Pews preserved from the First Church Seattle formerly located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood were acquired and will be used for booth seating to accommodate the restaurant’s future guests.

 

Pizza Fusion requires the build-out of all their restaurants to meet the stringent LEED certification standards by implementing a number of unique green initiatives into their business model. Through building only LEED certified restaurants, delivering their food in company owned hybrid or alternative energy 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 chain in America.

 

“We’ve been looking forward to our West Coast expansion since we started franchising,” explains Vaughan Lazar, CEO and co-founder of Pizza Fusion. “We knew that we would be warmly welcomed by the environmentally conscious residents of the western United States. Seattle will be a great community for Pizza Fusion to build upon its values.  Through entering markets that embrace our principles as an environmentally sustainable business, we have developed wonderful relationships with people who share our passion and desire to pave the way for a green tomorrow. We’re proud to team up with Kevin and Casey in expanding our environmental reach while serving one of Seattle’s best tasting pizzas.”

 

Prior to joining Pizza Fusion, Kevin York served as the Vice President of Sales in the Northwest region of the U.S. for The Spring Air Mattress Company. Casey Seremek is a licensed Certified Public Accountant and previously served as the Director of Finance at Eastside Catholic High School.  He has an extensive and diverse accounting and business background.

 

About Pizza Fusion

 

Pizza Fusion leads a new niche market by combining an eclectic organic menu with a detail-oriented environmental business approach in chic LEED certified fast casual environments. Pizza Fusion serves gourmet pizzas, ciabatta sandwiches, salads, desserts, beers, wines and more in their purest form – untainted by artificial additives, such as sweeteners, pesticides, preservatives, antibiotics and hormones.  For additional information, visit:  www.pizzafusion.com.