INDUSTRY ENTREPRENEURS FIND SUCCESS WITH BIGGBY COFFEE
Franchisees from a wide variety of quick-service backgrounds choose BIGGBY
EAST LANSING, Mich., Jan. 10, 2011 – From burger joints and sandwich shops to beer and wine distributors and grocery store owners, BIGGBY COFFEE franchisees have come from a magnitude of various backgrounds. But no matter the differences in the path’s they have traveled, each has chosen to land with BIGGBY COFFEE, the fastest growing coffee chain in the U.S.
Entering its seventeenth year of business, the East Lansing-based gourmet coffee retailer has 123 stores open, with another 13 more under contract, across seven states throughout the Midwest and beyond. With the recent development of a new store footprint, which drastically reduces costs to open a store, a proven operating philosophy, ongoing home office support and not to mention a great tasting product, the company’s franchisees describe the concept as “having it all”.
“The decreased cost in build-out makes it possible for a much quicker and larger return on investment,” Randy Israel, a BIGGBY franchisee said. As an owner of about 60 quick serve restaurant franchises, Israel and his business partners signed with BIGGBY about five years ago and currently own four locations. “I can build five to six BIGGBY stores for the same price as one of my fast food restaurants. When you add that to the highest quality of product and standards set, at BIGGBY, being a franchisee makes all the sense in the word.”
BIGGBY completed 2011 with 9.5% same store sales growth, marking its 25 consecutive month of aggressive growth. That same year, BIGGBY was also ranked the fastest growing coffee chain in America by CNBC, a top 30 food franchise by Franchise Business Review, and moved up 119 spots to number 268 on Entrepreneur Magazine’s annual Top 500 Franchise Report. All anecdotes that may have seemed out of reach less than 20 years ago when a single BIGGBY opened in a college town where 35 other coffee shops already existed.
“Since I was already in the beverage industry, I noticed the growth of coffee concepts and started looking into BIGGBY in 2005,” Nick Spadafore, a multi-unit BIGGBY franchisee said. “They were doubling in size every year and that doesn’t happen by accident. By following the system and putting in the work, it’s made very simple for their franchisees to experience success.”
After several years working in the grocery store industry, Steve Antaya said he was ready to diversify his holdings and start with something new. In 2007, he decided on BIGGBY and today owns five locations throughout Michigan.
“When compared to other franchises, dollar for dollar, BIGGBY is a good investment,” Antaya said. “It was founded on a model for success and as a company, has mastered the art of creating a one-of-a-kind customer experience. By sticking to those kinds of basics, you are going to see the BIGGBY around for a long time to come.”
If you are interested in becoming the next BIGGBY COFFEE franchisee, please visit: http://biggby.com/franchising/
About BIGGBY COFFEE®
East Lansing, Mich.-based BIGGBY® COFFEE opened a single store in March of 1995 based on the founding principle that coffee-lovers and the coffee-curious alike would benefit from a less pretentious approach to the standard gourmet café paradigm. BIGGBY COFFEE introduced connoisseur-worthy drinks with pronounceable names like Teddy Bear and Caramel Marvel, and barista staff surprised guests with simple gestures like free kazoos and bouncy balls for no other reason than to brighten their day. The “Big ‘B’” on the orange background caught on, and today BIGGBY COFFEE has 140 cafes open or under contract across seven states including: Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, South Carolina, Wisconsin and Texas. For more information, visit www.biggby.com.
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