"We are incredibly excited to announce our 1 st (first) acquisition and joint-venture outside of the plant-based vertical as well as our 1 st (first) asset-light franchise focused development model with Pirho Grill," said Sean Black, Chief Investment Officer of Happy Belly. "George Plagakis, founder of Pirho Grill, and his team have developed an exciting brand built on great food & great people that is now ready to accelerate growth from their current 4 (four) locations in Ottawa. Ever since we grew brands like Extreme Pita, Mucho Burrito, Burger's Priest & Fresh we have been actively looking for the next one in fast casual. Today I feel we have that chance to create a category leader in North America with Pirho Grill. I see the asset-light franchise model that I have worked with previously at Extreme Brandz and MTY Food Group [TSX:MTY] as a big part of the future growth plans for Happy Belly."