By Wayne Allen
Ed Newsome, with Southern Ohio Burritos Company, says he will soon open a Hot Head Burritos location in the former home of Front Row Video, 929 Chillicothe St., in Portsmouth.
Newsome said they believe they could not have gotten a better location, “we’re right across from the park, the new CVS, Kroger and with the foot traffic from the university students, we think we have a good location. Folks can walk from the different downtown office buildings, we just think this a great location and we’re excited about it.”
According to hotheadburritos.com, “Hot Head Burritos (has) quickly became a contender in the Quick Serve Mexican food segment. As of September of 2014, there will be 58 Hot Head Burritos open and many more in development.”
Newsome said he’s been in the food business for many years. He owns three locations of Subway and looked at Hot Head Burritos as a way to expand. Newsome described the food offered at Hot Head Burritos as fast Mexican.
“I’m in the Subway business. I have three locations and I was looking to grow. I knew being in the quick casual food business that this was a growing segment, nationwide,” Newsome said. “We’ve had our growth with the pizza industry, burgers and things like that. This segment of the food business is really growing.”
Newsome said he’s spend the last several years looking at franchises and locations that would be good for the Portsmouth area. He said Hot Head Burritos has a very competitive price point.
“This is something that will be very affordable for our area,” Newsome said. “They offer a good quality product. We will not have freezers in the store, so we will not bring in items, freeze it and keep it for months. We will grill chicken and steak all day long.”
When asked about a timetable moving forward, Newsome said he hopes to be open in September, depending on the construction process the location is currently undergoing. He said he plans to split the building into two business spaces. Hot Head Burritos will take up a little over 1,800 square feet. There will be an additional 1,200 square feet available for lease.
Newsome projects to hire 30 people to run the business with five managers and 25 workers.
“Within 30 days of opening, we will be hiring the additional 25 people,” Newsome said.
He said those interested in one of the positions or for more information about Hot Head Burritos visit hotheadburritos.com.
Wayne Allen can be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 1933 or on Twitter @WayneallenPDT
