Latest Press Release GrowthPoint Restaurants announces $1.6mm funding of Chop't Creative Salad Company GrowthPoint Restaurants, an early stage investment fund focused on retail and restaurant opportunities has completed a $1.6mm funding of Chop't Creative Salad Company. Chop't currently operates 2 restaurants in NYC, NY. GrowthPoint Restaurants was established by Nick Marsh, previously founder and COO of Cosi Restaurants. Chop't Creative Salad Company offers the very best farm fresh produce and proprietary homemade dressings to create a unique salad experience. Customers select either from the "Chef Designed" or "Custom Hand Craft" salads. At Chop't, all of the produce is purchased and prepared daily. The company focuses on all-natural ingredients with no preservatives. The company was founded by NYC residents Tony Shure and Colin McCabe. "We are very excited to have brought in GrowthPoint as our financial partner," says Tony Shure. "We have worked hard over our first 5 years to develop the concept and product quality at Chop't. We are ready to expand the concept in NY and to new markets. We think it is critical to have an investor partner with deep experience in the restaurant industry." "Tony and Colin have done a fabulous job in differentiating Chop't from other salad concepts. We think this is an extremely exciting growth opportunity." says Nick Marsh. GrowthPoint has partnered with the family venture fund Black Beach Capital to provide the funding for Chop't and to develop options for future rounds of capital. The partnership is focused on early stage opportunities in the restaurant arena. "Our goal is to complete 2 or 3 investments in high potential concepts each year," says Marsh. There are so many great early stage concepts, but we want to make sure that we have the bandwith to help with operations and growth as well as provide capital." The investment team also includes David Mansbach and Keith Kefgen of HVS Executive Search, the premier executive search firm to the chain restaurant industry. Gary Levy, partner at JH Cohn has been engaged to supervise the development of the finance and accounting function. "David and his team at HVS and Gary and his team at JH Cohn are some of the key resources that will be available to support the growing concepts with whom we partner," says Marsh.