STORE OF THE YEAR, TOP BARISTAS AND MORE AWARED AT BIGGBY COFFEE ANNUAL FRANCHISE MEETING

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STORE OF THE YEAR, TOP BARISTAS AND MORE AWARDED AT BIGGBY COFFEE ANNUAL FRANCHISE MEETING 
Three-day event celebrated 16 years of business; drew more than 200 franchise owners, operators and other key staff

EAST LANSING, MI, Aug. 22, 2011 – Drum roll please! The winners of the BIGGBY COFFEE Store of the Year, Barista of the Year and Big ‘B’ Cup awards have been chosen! All winners were awarded and recognized at BIGGBY’s annual franchise meeting held August 16-18th at the Marriott Hotel in East Lansing, MI.

The 2011 Store of the Year was based on customer nominations and went to the BIGGBY COFFEE located on Fuller Ave. in Grand Rapids, MI and to franchise owner Kathy Brooks and store operator, Ellen Jones! Brooks and Jones’ store most exemplified the all-around energy, ambiance, customer engagement and satisfaction needed to take home the 2011 BIGGBY COFFEE Store of the Year award.

“It is an absolute honor to be named Store of the Year with so many other great BIGGBY locations out there,” Jones said. “Our customers are amazing and it feels wonderful to know they enjoy coming to our location as much as we enjoying seeing them every day. They have really become part of our family!”

Nine baristas franchise-wide were also recognized with the “My Favorite Barista Award”, also based on customer nominations. From the nine finalists, Lansing-area barista, Marcy Powelson was then selected as the winner of the 2011 Todd Miles award. This award was developed in memory of Lansing resident and former barista Todd Miles who embodied the spirit and personality of BIGGBY COFFEE and the B Happy brand! Miles is remembered though this award and has set the bar high for other BIGGBY COFFEE baristas for years to come.

“Words cannot describe how touching it was to win this award,” Powelson said. “I absolutely love being a part of BIGGBY, coming to work every day and having the opportunity to talk with customers and form friendships in the store every day. I am so thankful to everyone who played a part in this award and I’m honored to be recognized with other so many other great baristas who have come before me.”

The fun did not stop there! One of the most sought-after awards, The Big ‘B’ Cup Award, was bestowed on franchise operator, Tim Barker. This award is given annually to the franchise operator who most embodies the core values of BIGGBY COFFEE in their store. The Barker family has been a part of the BIGGBY COFFEE franchise family since 2005 and currently have five stores located in the Grand Rapids area.

“I am so honored to be recognized by the founders of Biggby Coffee,” Tim Barker said. “We have worked hard to develop our stores as not only great coffee shops but places where the community can come and have a great time! Being able to celebrate that with other franchisees and award winners made for a very special night.”

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