Zoup! Fresh Soup Co. is stirring it up by re-opening in Pontiac, offering hundreds of healthy, award-winning soups.
After originally opening in 2005 and operating as a corporate-owned store, the location recently became part of a franchise deal under the new Pontiac owners, Karl Lewis and Krista Wiseman.
With 31 restaurants in eight states throughout the Midwest and Northeast, this re-opening is part of a plan to expand Zoup! throughout the northern United States.
“I’m incredibly excited about continuing the trend of feeding the local appetite ...” Lewis said.
He said the location has a new oven to shorten preparation time for sandwiches, new seating and equipment repairs to improve staff efficiency.
Lewis spent 25 years working in sales, then in 2009, he retired and became the owner of a local hair salon. After becoming a loyal fan of Zoup!, Lewis knew the Zoup! franchise was a perfect opportunity. He will handle day-to-day operations in the store, and his fiancée, Wiseman, a veteran of the entertainment industry, will handle marketing.
Founded in 1998, Zoup! is the leading fast-casual soup concept restaurant, featuring 12 rotating soup varieties in an environment focused on comfort, satisfaction and convenience.
“We created Zoup! after discovering that really good soup is hard to find,” said Eric Ersher, Zoup!’s founder and managing partner. “We strive to offer authentic, hand-crafted soups that are as good — and as ‘feel-good’ — as the homemade soups our mothers and grandmothers used to cook up.”
Nutritional offerings include low-fat soups and dairy-free soups.
To help customers select from the soups offered each day, Zoup! encourages sampling.
Prices range from $4.65 to $6.95 for a bowl. The menu also includes fresh, made-to-order GreenZ! Salads, grilled and rolled SandwicheZ! and an array of baked goods and beverages.
The new location at 3999 Centerpoint Pkwy. is open 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
For more information on Zoup! or to order online, visit www.zoup.com or call 248-874-1111. The online system also includes a location finder, a complete menu of the day’s soups and catering.
There are also opportunities to receive a $20 gift certificate after reaching 500 points of catering.
See original story: http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2011/06/02/entertainment/doc4de7d41123d26946969407.txt?viewmode=fullstory
