A separate franchise group that includes the husband-and-wife team of Kevin and Karen Forrer and business partner Brian Wood have signed a development agreement for the Dayton-Springfield area and is “negotiating with a couple of landlords” at undisclosed locations for the first Dayton-area Zoup! restaurant, company president Richard Simtob told this newspaper in an interview.
The franchisees hope to open their first Dayton/Springfield-area restaurant during the first quarter of 2015, Simtob said.
Plans call for opening a second Dayton-area location about a year later, Simtob said. The chain targets 2,000-square-foot spaces close to retail centers.
The restaurants typically employ 17, Zoup! spokeswoman Monica Cheick said.
Zoup! offers 12 rotating daily varieties, including low-fat, vegetarian, dairy-free and gluten-free options, and also serves made-to-order salads and sandwiches, Cheick said. Customer favorites include Chicken Potpie, Lobster Bisque and Vegetarian Split Pea.
The first Zoup! restaurant opened in Southfield, Mi., in suburban Detroit in 1998. The chain now operates 68 restaurants in the U.S. and Canada, and is targeting Ohio as part of an expansion strategy, Zoup! officials said.
“In good times and bad, soup has powerful, intangible qualities that provide comfort and promote a genuine sense of well-being for many people,” Eric Ersher, founder and CEO of Zoup!, said in a news release. “We look forward to growing our brand and feeding the local appetite with the hand-crafted soups we all enjoy, but seldom have the time to make at home.”
For more information, go to www.zoup.com.
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