DALLAS — Corner Bakery Cafe is expanding in the Northeast with two franchise agreements that will bring 15 new bakery cafe locations to New York state in the next six years.
“Our original agreement was for nine locations in Rochester and Buffalo, but the overwhelming reception from the market and enthusiasm for the brand led to an easy decision to develop an additional six locations,” said Fran DeSimone, Corner Bakery Cafe’s New York state franchisee and operating partner. “Corner Bakery Cafe offers high-quality, fresh food, a comfortable atmosphere, a fantastic catering program and the best freshly baked sweets in the area. It is simply the most attractive investment opportunity in the bakery cafe category, offering superior unit-level economics and a unique dining experience unlike any I’ve seen in my 37 years in the industry.”
John LaBarge, vice-president of franchise business at Corner Bakery Cafe, said the company is on track to more than double the Corner Bakery Cafe system in the next three to four years.
The first New York location opened in Pittsford on Aug. 15, and the second and third locations will open in Buffalo in December and early spring, respectively. Three Corner Bakery Cafe locations will open in Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse by the end of 2012, the company said.
Affiliates of Roark Capital Group, an Atlanta-based private equity firm, earlier this year acquired Il Fornaio (America) Corp., owner of Corner Bakery Café and Il Fornaio Restaurants and Bakeries.