Smoked meats processor Texas Hill Country Barbecue, Inc. (THCB), Dallas, said it formed a restaurant and hospitality division to develop and franchise restaurants. CEO Jason Ford said THCB named Arvind Sharma as director of franchise development to develop and design a fast casual restaurant concept that will compete nationally.

"The dining segment of 'fast casual' with great food and hospitality is the 'Wave-of-the-Future,'" said Sharma. "We have produced quality food and products for nationally recognized institutions such as Wal-Mart and HEB for years. The company has a top-notch quality operations team that will organize and launch this Texas Size experience nationally.

"Look for more to come in the future, as we are planning over 30 sites in 18 months in a combination of corporate and joint venture (JV) Units with JV partners already in place."

THCB said it has processed smoked brisket, sausage, pork ribs, pulled pork, barbecue sauce and other products since 1971 under various labels.