Einstein Bros. Bagels and Caribou Coffee have teamed up to launch a cobranded coffee-and-bagels concept in Colorado Springs, Colo., which opened doors Wednesday.
JAB Holdings—the private-equity parent of Caribou and Einstein Bros. parent, Einstein Noah Restaurant Group Inc. (ENRGI)—plans to open 20 of the cobranded units by the end of the year, beginning with the Colorado and Minnesota markets, according to a news release. A second Colorado Springs location is slated to open later this month.
The concept’s menu features a number of Caribou’s specialty coffee drinks—such as lattes, mochas and cold-press brews—along with a selection of Einstein Bros. bagels, spreads, and hot and cold sandwiches. Some locations will eventually offer delivery, as shown on the concept’s website.
The move allows each brand to enter new markets where it currently does not have a presence, the companies said. At least some cobranded units will open in existing outposts of one brand; the two Colorado Springs locations are housed in converted Einstein Bros. stores.
"We saw an opportunity to bring Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros. Bagels, two beloved brands, together," said Mike Tattersfield, CEO of Caribou Coffee and ENRGI. "A place where specialty coffee and fresh-baked bagels live together under one roof doesn't exist at scale and we're excited to bring this concept to guests across the country."
JAB Holdings acquired ENRGI for $374 million last fall in a deal that took the company private. The restaurant group includes the Einstein Bros., Noah’s New York Bagels and Manhattan Bagels brands; of those, Einstein Bros. is the largest, with more than 600 U.S. locations.
Caribou Coffee, which was acquired by JAB Holdings in 2012, operates more than 400 domestic units.
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