ExpansionWire

The Veggie Grill has experienced continued expansion from Irvine to Torrance to El Segundo to Santa Monica to West Hollywood with a forthcoming fast casual meat-free eatery opening in May at The Farmers Market. NRN reports that co-founders T.K. Pillan and Kevin Boylan have hired a new CEO, Greg Dollarhyde, to steer the ship. In the past Dollarhyde has served as CEO for Baja Fresh and most recently helped grow an Alabama-based chain called Zoës Kitchen from 19 to 45 locations in less than three years. As for The Veggie Grill's future expansion, the plan is to open five to six units in 2012 mostly in SoCal. [NRN]