Johnson City, TENN. – One of Johnson City’s most popular Southwestern cuisine restaurants is expanding into University Plaza (home of Earth Fare), on the corner of West State of Franklin and South Greenwood Drive. The address for Johnson City’s second Barberitos will be 1735 West State of Franklin, Suite #6, Johnson City, TN 37604.
“Campus Barbs,” as dubbed by owner Andy Osbolt, will open its doors Friday, February 28th, 2014.
“We are looking forward to serving the nearby community on that side of town by providing not only the same memorable Southwestern dining experience but also a time-efficient lunch option for employees of the hospital, VA, and ETSU campus,” said Osbolt. The restaurant will be located in the former Tacos El Pariente space.
Originally based out of Athens, Georgia, the Barberitos franchise at People’s Street, opened 9 years ago, was the first Barberitos in the state of Tennessee. Today, there are more than 20 locations across the Southeast USA. The brand name comes from the name of the founder, Downing Barber, combined with the word “burritos.”
Amanda McCallister, Director of Marketing for Barberitos, said, “We are thrilled with Andy and Brian opening another location in Johnson City. They epitomize the Barberitos culture so much so that the other franchises have followed their lead in getting involved with the community and valuing the relationship with the customer.” She continued, “It is wonderful to see them grow as a top performer.”
Opening a second location is great but that is not the best part for Andy Osbolt. “At the heart of it, we get to grow our family. I love seeing our guys and girls develop into young leaders and grow on many different levels.” He continued, “We have a saying around here ‘Bigger than the burrito’ which illustrates how we care about not just performance excellence but also business mentorship and leadership development in the lives of our team members.”
One example of this mentorship is Matt Elmore, an ETSU graduate and four-and-half year employee of Barberitos, who is taking on the general manager responsibilities of the Campus Barbs location.
“I am really excited. Andy and Brian [Trammel] have taught me so much about upper management,” said Elmore, “The crew of employees we have right now are such good friends, we hang out outside of work, check in on each other and catch each other when we fall; all of which makes working together a whole lot of fun.”
Another way “Campus Barbs” is growing the team is providing the opportunity for Brian Trammel, the nine-year general manager of the People’s Street location, to partner with Osbolt in opening the second franchise together. Trammel said, “It’s exciting to move into this new stage in my career.”
John Speropulos, CCIM, SIOR, president of Mitch Cox Realtor, helped orchestrate the landing of Barberitos into University Plaza, a Mitch Cox property. Speropulos said, “It is always exciting to see successful businesses expand; I’m especially glad that Johnson City gets to see another Barberitos join our community.”
Founded in Johnson City, Tennessee in 1979, Mitch Cox Companies is a full-service real estate solutions company offering development, architectural, construction, brokerage and commercial property management services. The company also manages hotel properties across the Southeast and Midwest U.S. and manages residential community associations in the Tri-Cities region of Tennessee. To see our work, listings and news, visit our website, Facebook page, or call us at 423.282.6582.