BIGGBY COFFEE STORE AND BARISTA OF THE YEAR WINNERS ANNOUNCED!

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BIGGBY COFFEE STORE AND BARISTA OF THE YEAR WINNERS ANNOUNCED! 
Company-wide event held in Lansing, MI focused on education, celebration and future growth

EAST LANSING, MI, Aug. 28, 2012 – More than 250 BIGGBY COFFEE franchisees, store operators, baristas, and other key staff members descended on Lansing for the 2012 Annual Franchise Meeting. With three-days of workshops, presentations, awards ceremonies and more, the most coveted award winners have been announced and they have claimed their place in BIGGBY history!

The BIGGBY “Store of the Year Award” was based on customer nominations, in which one BIGGBY location from every market was selected as a finalist. Based on customer’s reviews, along with the total number of votes received, BIGGBY of Westland, MI (37644 Ford Rd) and store franchisee, Mohamad Elfakir, was recognized as the overall “Store of the Year” winner.

The fun did not stop there for Elfakir, as he was called back on stage to accept one of the most sought-after awards, The Big ‘B’ Cup Award. This award is given annually to the franchisee that most embodies the core values and operating philosophies of BIGGBY in their store.

“I’m very honored to be recognized by BIGGBY and by my community for these awards,” Elfakir said. “Winning them made for a very special night, and with so many great stores in our system, I will remember this forever.”

Named in honor of BIGGBY co-founder and Vice President, Mary Roszel, other nominees for the award included: BIGGBY on W. Stadium Blvd. in Ann Arbor, BIGGBY on Fuller Ave. in Grand Rapids, BIGGBY on Gull Rd. in Kalamazoo, BIGGBY on Ottawa St. in Lansing, BIGGBY on Mack Ave. in Grosse Pointe Farms, BIGGBY on Pontiac Trl. in South Lyon, BIGGBY on W. Dussel Dr. in Maumee, OH and BIGGBY on N. Denton Tap Rd. in Coppell, TX.

Nine BIGGBY baristas franchise-wide were also recognized with the “My Favorite Barista Award”, which was based on customer nominations as well. From the nine finalists, Amanda Demland of BIGGBY Defiance, OH, was crowned the overall winner and named the “Todd Miles Barista of the Year”! This award bestows the name of a former barista who embodied the spirit and personality of BIGGBY, and has set the bar high for other BIGGBY baristas for years to come.

The other winners for this award included: Cassie Stausser – Washtenaw/Livingston County, Ellen Jones – Grand Rapids, Chelsea Flynn– Kalamazoo, Trisha Kosloski – Lansing, Jennifer Mattei – Macomb County, Zach Delashmit – Oakland County, Jodi Lytle – Toledo-area and April Smith– Wayne County.

To add to the celebration, BIGGBY CEO and co-founder, Bob Fish, took time to recognize the company for currently experiencing 32 consecutive months of same store sales growth, averaging 9.28 percent, and being the fastest growing coffee chain in the U.S.

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 157 cafes open or under contract across eight states including: Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Florida and Texas.  For more information, visit www.biggby.com.