October 10-14
Tennis ace Andre Agassi is entering the restaurant business. But it’s not Persian cuisine he’s pushing; it’s (maybe) Hungarian. And the restaurants are not in the United States; they’re in Britain.
Agassi, born in Nevada to an Iranian father and American mother, is hoping to make a chain of Hungarian healthy fast-food delis a smash hit with hip Britons.
The eight-time Grand Slam winner is the public face of a new venture run by a Budapest-based health food firm, Update 1. The company plans to open 50 franchised “low carb bistro delis” across the UK by 2019, with the first opening in London next week.
The delis include baked goods, organic coffee, gluten-free products and ranges of health foods, as well as a healthy fast food takeout that will include low-fat pizzas and burgers.
Agassi said the venture would help his campaign to fight obesity. He told The Evening Standard of London: “I have long believed that exercise, plus the right nutrition and diet, are essential to long-term mental and physical health.”
Update 1 already has a chain of 100 health food shops across mainland Europe. It was founded in 2004 by colorful entrepreneur and self-styled “health king” Norbi Ference Schobert. He said, “Update 1 has been proven to help people lose weight without them needing to give up their favorite food items.”