I Heart Mac & Cheese Palm Springs Grand Opening

I Heart Mac & Cheese — a fast-casual restaurant offering mac & cheese dishes, grilled cheese sandwiches and other fare with health-conscious options had a grand opening Wednesday for its new Palm Springs eatery.

"We have been under construction for many months and have worked with the city to meet and surpass all health and safety standards," said Blu Bryan, CEO and founder of BMC Foods and owner of the new restaurant. "We look forward to offering this exciting new dining option to the community."

The Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce invited the public to the grand opening Wednesday, which will featured a ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m. outside the restaurant at 190 South Indian Canyon Drive at East Arenas Road.

There was a hiring event in May aimed at filling up to 50 positions, with management focused on offering opportunities to a wide range of applicants, including those who may be traditionally overlooked, such as people with special needs, seniors, veterans, people on Social Security and people with previous criminal convictions who are in "second chance" programs.

Bryan told City News Service that he also worked with Desert Arc — a non-profit that provides opportunities for people with disabilities — and ultimately filled 54 positions to a diverse pool of applicants.

"There’s not one category that hasn’t been hired," he told CNS.

Another hiring event looking to fill up to 40 positions for upcoming services, including delivery and food truck drivers, is expected to take place in August, Bryan told CNS.

I Heart Mac & Cheese has over 20 nationwide locations and plans to open over 75 additional locations this year, according to the company. BMC Foods said that with each new location it will donate $10,000 to a community partner local to each restaurant.

Bryan said the Palm Springs restaurant is partnering with local non- profits to build showers, washers and dryers for homeless people in the city. In addition, the management team will encourage each cashier to give one free meal to a customer each shift as part of the Random Acts of Kindness Program.

"For millions of people, a nourishing meal is a critical need," Bryan said. "That is why BMC Foods created the I Heart Mac & Cheese Community Shared Table Program, an initiative to help the community fight hunger. Through this exciting program, BMC Foods will donate surplus food to local soup kitchens, shelters and other non-profits throughout Southern California."

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