First Seattle's Best Coffee Franchise Opens in Houston
New kiosk is one of the first to open since brand's renewed focus on developing franchise growth.
-- Chain Leader, 11/2/2009 12:24:00 PM
PRESS RELEASE: SEATTLE; November 2, 2009 - Seattle's Best Coffee today announced that its first Houston-area franchise opened for business in the lobby level of Williams Tower by the Galleria. The kiosk is the first of 10 Seattle's Best Coffee franchise locations planned to be opened during the next five years by Hi Rise Amenities, Inc., a Houston owned and operated foodservice company. The 196 sq. ft. kiosk is a fully branded Seattle's Best Coffee cafe serving the brand's proprietary espresso beverages. It replaces an existing kiosk that served Seattle's Best Coffee through a foodservice contract.
"Hi Rise Amenities was the first franchisee to sign with Seattle's Best Coffee since we announced the expansion of our franchising program last February," said Marie Gill, director of Franchising, Seattle's Best Coffee. "Their proven track record of success of operating multiple units and passion for our brand made them an ideal franchise partner."
Hi Rise Amenities kiosks at One Allen Center, Three Allen Center, First City Tower, Fulbright Tower and 600 Jefferson will become Seattle's Best Coffee cafes and the company will also open a larger, flagship cafe, filling 1,100 square feet, in downtown's Two Shell Plaza later this year.
"We are very excited to open for business and serve the local community under the Seattle's Best Coffee brand," said Amin Gheewalla, president, Hi Rise Amenities, Inc. "Seattle's Best Coffee franchising program is a perfect fit for our business, offering a talented team to partner with, strong brand awareness, a variety of retail solutions and, of course, great coffee."
Seattle's Best Coffee offers potential franchisees an innovative set of retail cafe concepts ranging from small space solutions to street-side coffeehouses, including customized cafes that are designed specifically for each location. In addition, the company offers access to training and operations experts for initial cafe set-up, as well as ongoing development and operations support. Earlier this year, Seattle's Best Coffee announced an increased focus on securing franchise partners to grow its cafe presence nationwide and build on four years of successful development of the brand's national licensing program, which now serves more than 550 cafes. For more information on Seattle's Best Coffee and the franchising program, visit www.seattlesbest.com and complete an inquiry form.
About Seattle's Best Coffee
Founded in 1970, Seattle's Best Coffee has more than 550 specialty coffee cafes, kiosks and other concepts in the U.S. Its coffee is available nationwide in supermarkets and at more than 6,000 foodservice locations, such as college campuses, restaurants, hotels, airlines and cruise lines. Seattle's Best Coffee's smooth roasting delivers a rich and balanced Uncommonly Smooth(tm) taste. Seattle's Best Coffee offers more than 30 whole bean and ground coffees (including flavored, organic and Fair Trade Certified(tm) coffees), espresso beverages, signature hand-crafted JavaKula(r) blended beverages, OvenSong(r) bakery warm food and sandwiches, and select merchandise. Seattle's Best Coffee is a featured brand within Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX). For more information, please visit Seattle's Best Coffee online at www.seattlesbest.com.
