Peet’s in China and Delivery-Only Concepts from Red Robin and Canter’s Deli
7 Min Read By MRM Staff
Peet’s Opens First-Ever International Location
Peet’s Coffee®, held the grand opening of its first-ever international location with the debut of a Shanghai, China flagship coffeebar. Situated at 9 Donghu Lu, the 3,900-square foot coffeebar will operate an in-house roastery. The new coffeebar also marks the formation of Peet’s Coffee China, an independently-run joint venture formed by Peet’s Coffee and Hillhouse Capital and led by Vivian Zhang, CEO, Peet’s China. Peet’s also announced the addition to its China Board of Directors of Shawn Conway, Chief Operating Officer at Peet’s Coffee, Sam Su, an Operating Partner at Hillhouse and the former Chairman and CEO of Yum China, and David Rhee, a Hillhouse Partner, along with executives from the Peet’s Coffee team.
“Entering China underscores how Peet’s has grown systematically since going private in 2012 as the company has delivered consistent, double-digit growth while evolving its omni-channel model comprised of several super premium brands, product formats, and geographies,” said Shawn Conway. “Expanding internationally is a natural progression of our United States success and Peet’s recognizes that China is a fast-growing market with a flourishing base of coffee lovers seeking distinctive experiences. We are very excited by China’s coffee market momentum and for the opportunity to cater to their young consumers eager to discover exceptionally fresh, hand-roasted coffee.”
“We are excited to bring Peet’s wonderful tradition of premium craft coffees to China,” said Lei Zhang, Chairman and CEO of Hillhouse Capital. “We believe Chinese consumers deserve the highest quality products and Peet’s offers this in the form of some of the best coffee in the world.”
“In response to the growing demand in China for premium craft coffee, Peet’s Coffee is thrilled to bring to the region its handcrafted mastery and to welcome new fans into the Peetnik community,” said Vivian Zhang. “When Alfred Peet opened his first coffeebar in Berkeley, California in 1966, he established our long-standing commitment to roasting the highest-quality coffee and Peet’s continues to stay true to that in China. A coffeebar that lives up to that approach offers a unique destination for adventurous coffee connoisseurs wanting to discover and enjoy the best of the best from experts who have spent over fifty years perfecting their craft.”
Peet’s Roasters in China will fresh-roast each batch at the Donghu Lu flagship, continuing Peet’s tradition of craft roasted coffee. This sensory approach relies on sight, smell and sound to ensure each batch is roasted to perfection. Peet’s China Roasters completed an extensive apprenticeship program at Peet’s LEED® Gold certified roastery in Alameda, California with John Niccolini, Head Roaster, Peet’s Coffee.
Additional features of the Peet’s Coffee Shanghai coffeebar include:
- A Discovery Bar that invites patrons to take a personalized coffee journey through custom cups, tasting flights, and courses led by our roasters and baristas.
- An exacting standard of freshness, with all coffees sold or served within 28 days of roasting, ensuring peak of flavor and aroma.
- A dynamic semi-circular design showcasing expert baristas, the craft of espresso preparation and hand-brewed coffee.
- Coffee roasted on-site on a Probat roaster specially modified for Peet’s distinctive style.
- An exclusive in-house pastry chef whisking up exquisite gourmet desserts and baked goods that are freshly made throughout each day using high-quality ingredients.
- A range of twelve coffees sourced by the Peet’s Coffee team, including Major Dickason, Big Bang, Colombia Luminosa, French Roast, Espresso Forte, and many more.
- Espresso beverages made with freshly ground coffee, hand-pulled shots, and freshly steamed, high-quality milk and crafted on La Marzocco La Strada espresso machines.
- An array of signature Peet’s Coffee beverages, ranging from Cortados to The Black Tie.
- Flexible and comfortable gathering spaces, community tables, and a spacious outdoor patio overlooking the vibrant street of Donghu Lu, located in the Former French Concession.
- A “living wall” installation of fresh plants that integrates nature into an urban atmosphere, restoring balance by enhancing indoor air quality and brightening moods of patrons.
Timed to the opening of the Shanghai coffeebar, Peet’s Coffee China will also rollout “Peetniks,” a regional loyalty program available locally through WeChat.
Old Chicago Pizza Expands Footprint
Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom signed franchise development agreements for 48 new units with new franchise partners. These agreements will expand Old Chicago’s footprint across at least nine states from the south to southwest, southeast, Midwest and west including Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Kansas, Nevada, Missouri, Arizona, Georgia and Alabama.
“We’re thrilled to be continuing nationwide expansion with new and existing franchise partners who have been committed to accelerating the growth and success of Old Chicago,” said Mark A. Belanger, CFE, Vice President of Global Franchise Operations and Development for CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries, Inc., operating company of Old Chicago. “We’re focused on making significant investments in our company that reinforce Old Chicago’s growth potential and position our franchisees for success, so that they ultimately want to expand their portfolio and introduce Old Chicago to new markets. These agreements are a testament to the strength of our evolving business model and exceptional offerings, and we look forward to developing new Old Chicago locations across the country.”
Old Chicago opened eight new locations in 2016 growing their presence in Texas, North Carolina, Missouri, and Colorado; an additional eight restaurants including locations in Colorado, South Carolina, Kansas, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Wyoming were added this year.
“We are thrilled to announce that we have signed 48 new unit development agreements this year. We are excited for our future growth in 2018 and beyond,” stated Belanger. With its 5,000-square foot building and an additional 1,000 square feet of outdoor patio space, upgraded bar technology, enriched guest proven menu categories, and thorough beer-centric hourly training, Old Chicago continues to further enhance the guest experience.
CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries, Inc. is the largest craft brewery restaurant operator in the country with nearly 200 franchised and company-owned restaurants primarily operating under the Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurants and Rock Bottom Restaurants & Breweries brands. Founded in 1976, Old Chicago operates in 22 states with more than 100 restaurants.
Kellogg’s NYC Cafe Will Open in December
Kellogg’s® NYC Café will open the doors of its immersive new brick-and-mortar cereal café and experience on December 7 in Union Square. The second iteration of the cereal café, located at 31 E 17th St., will be more than just a place to eat. It’ll be a destination for foodies and people to chill, create and explore the endless possibilities of cereal all in one place, whether it be for breakfast, lunch or a snack later in the day. The new location will include several new elements:
- Kitchen: Anchored by an open-concept kitchen where guests can watch as cereal creations are being made, visitors will be able to select items off the menu or create their unique flavorful combos – including a DIY cereal creation station with ingredients fresh from the Union Square farmer’s market.
- Menu: The new location will offer a revamped cereal-inspired menu – including some favorites from our original Times Square location and new creations inspired by surprise partners.
- Insta-worthy: The concept was designed and made with the social media enthusiasts at heart, allowing guests to capture the perfect cereal selfie and food photo in one of many areas where cereal and Kellogg’s characters vibrantly and colorfully come to life.
Tony the Tiger® arrives outside of the new Kelloggs NYC Café in Union Square.
“We’re excited people can experience cereal in new ways all the time at our permanent location, versus other pop-ups which we’ve seen can quickly come and go. Whether people stop in for a quick meal or end up spending the afternoon or early evening with us, Kellogg’s® NYC Café in Union Square will truly be a home for food exploration—tailored to give everyone endless flavor possibilities when it comes to cereal,” said Aleta Chase, Kellogg’s® Marketing Director. “We’re excited to see how people re-think the possibilities of cereal and how their creations might inspire us to bring new products to life.”
Conceptualized by Anthony Rudolf and Sandra Di Capua of Co.create NYC, the experience will be five times the size of the former location, making way for dining, lounging and collaboration spaces where guests can experience cereal during work or play, morning to night.
Red Robin and Canter’s Deli Start Delivery-Only Concepts
Responding to the cravings of people too far east to receive delivery from the Canter’s Fairfax location, Canter’s deli found a way to meet the cravings of students, Downtowners and families in silverlake, Echo Park, Los Feliz, Korea town, and surrounding areas so they too can partake in Canters delicious delicacies.
For 86 years, Canter’s has served Reubens, matzo ball soup, pickles, chocolate chip rugula, pastrami and corned beef sandwiches, potato salad, coleslaw, potato knishes, and cheesecake.
Technomic Introduces Transaction Insights
Technomic Inc. added a new way for restaurants and the greater foodservice industry to understand key business performance metrics across the top 200 restaurant chains. The platform, Transaction Insights, features consumer-level purchase data, delivered monthly, from a longitudinal panel of more than 3 million consumers, representing as many as 18 million foodservice visits a month. Unprecedented transparency allows users to see every competitive brand within the top 200 chains, and proprietary modeling methodology based on Technomic’s deep expertise in the foodservice industry provides unparalleled accuracy.
Transaction Insights is designed for three main user groups: restaurant operators, foodservice suppliers and equity market researchers and analysts.
- Restaurant operators will have the ability to understand not only their own business trends over time, but also the business trends of other companies in their region or vertical, allowing them to see if their businesses are following a market trend or experiencing a brand-specific event. With a data sample so large, it’s possible to get a statistically significant sample all the way down to the city level, which allows operators to understand market trends within neighborhoods.
- Suppliers and distributors can use the information to provide appropriate resources, plan delivery routes and help their customers grow regionally and nationally. Again, the large data sample allows suppliers and distributors to make granular logistics decisions at a city level.
- Equity market researchers and analysts can use the information to enhance their analysis and projections. The depth of the data and quality of the modeling provide extremely reliable information for analysts to build reports and business-performance estimates.
“We are thrilled to bring this level of detailed information to all parties interested in the foodservice industry,” said Shawn Edwards, president of Technomic. “Technomic is committed to providing our clients with data-driven insights that help them make better business decisions. Transaction Insights is on the cutting edge, and provides an unparalleled level of data about the foodservice industry, allowing our clients a competitive advantage in a highly contested market.”