Air Force veteran tries his hand as restaurateur
By: Will Buss
Jim Hettler is the owner of Pita Pit at 215 Harvard Drive in Edwardsville, and hopes to have the restaurant open in early June.
Outlook: "I wanted to go out there and see what I can do and be a part of it."
Since retiring from the U.S. Air Force, Jim Hettler has had his own home-building business and is now preparing to open a restaurant. The veteran is the first metro-east franchisee of Pita Pit and plans to open his first restaurant next month in Edwardsville with plans to open another in O'Fallon at some point. His will join 300 U.S. locations in the chain that connects consumers with a healthier dining option and alternative to the typical fast-food choices. Pita Pit's motto is "fresh thinking -- healthy eating" and features a menu of grilled meats, fresh vegetables and zesty sauces rolled in pita bread. Hettler recently talked to business writer Will Buss about his service in the military and his life as a civilian entrepreneur:
How did you find this pita bread-based restaurant chain?
"Four years ago, I was taking my daughter to Iowa City to find her a place to live because she was accepted to go to law school there, and we were going through town trying to find a place to park, and we happened to park in front of a Pita Pit. It just so happened that I was thinking about opening a little restaurant of this nature in our local area."
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