As the Grove Plaza continues to shape up in downtown Boise, the newest addition is the opening of a third Gyro Shack location in the Treasure Valley. But before the local franchise could expand too much, it had to solve a saucy problem.
As the Boise Weekly reports, company CEO Doug Miller was struggling to find a consistent way to make hundreds of gallons of tzatziki and hummus a month. But after a chance meeting on a plane with an employee of Create Common Good, Miller formed a business partnership with the Boise nonprofit's leader, Tracy Hitchcock.
"When [The Gyro Shack] first came to us, they were making it all in-house and struggling with consistency," said Hitchcock, adding that with CCG's kitchen cranking out the sauces, "we're probably at 400 gallons a month between the two products." - Tracy Hitchcock, quoted in Boise Weekly
Create Common Good works with people who have employment barriers. Six of the organization's employees now are dedicated to produce and package Mediterranean sauces for the restaurant each week. Hitchock tells the Weekly she's prepared to expand their operation as demand grows.
"We're about family, we're about Idaho and we're about Boise. Create Common Good is obviously local and there aren't a lot of big franchises that come out of Boise," Miller said. "We're really proud of it." -- Doug Miller, quoted in Boise Weekly
Thursday's grand opening of The Gyro Shack downtown location features free (yes, free) gyros from 4-6 p.m.
Find Frankie Barnhill on Twitter @FABarnhill
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