Zoup! Fresh Soup Company: internet-savvy concept bowls over Midwesterners with blends that go beyond your basic broth
According to an old Spanish proverb, "Of soup and love, the first is the best."
Today Americans consume more than 10 billion bowls of soup each year, and if two Detroit-area cousins have their way, a large number of those bowls will come from Zoup! Fresh Soup Company, their 11-unit fast-casual chain.
Eric Ersher and David Elias founded the Southfield, Mich.-based company in 1998 and opened their first restaurant there in September of that year. Since then 10 more outlets have sprung up all over Michigan, including six franchised units. Restaurants are located in Pontiac, Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Detroit's Renaissance Center, the world headquarters of the General Motors Co., to name a few. An average store is approximately 2,000 square feet and has roughly 50 seats.
Despite some challenges, Ersher calls Zoup a "bootstrap, fast-growth" business. He says a high level of customer enthusiasm, numerous repeat visits and favorable store economics indicate Zoup is thriving. He notes that additional franchises already have been awarded in Michigan and Ohio. The Ohio outlets--two in Cleveland and one in Toledo--are in various stages of development, and Ersher anticipates that they will open in the fall of 2005.
Further expansion will take place on a controlled basis, Ersher says, adding that he is not focused as much on numbers as he is on finding strong single-store franchise candidates in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana as well as area developers in other regions.
See original article: http://business.highbeam.com/409700/article-1G1-132621160/zoup-fresh-soup-company-internetsavvy-concept-bowls
