The original premise of fast casual was to combine a kitchen that could match the quality of a full-service operation's back of house with a bare-bones serving style more typical of a fast-food joint. Fifteen-year-old Cafe Zupas assures consumers it's stuck to that model. All the soups, salads and sandwiches are made from scratch, down to the dressings and garnishes. The nearly 60-unit chain describes its kitchen as "open-source" and "intentionally transparent," or what a full-service rival might call a display kitchen. "You'll find real, whole food that is prepared daily on-site, in-sight," from 203 ingredients, pledges the concept's website. An example: the recent limited-time offer of asparagus cauliflower soup.
| Location | Sandy, Utah |
|---|---|
| 2018 Systemwide Sales ($000,000) | $42* |
| YOY Sales Change | 27.1% |
| 2018 U.S. Units | 56 |
| YOY Unit Change | 24.4% |
| 2018 Average Unit Volume ($000) | $835* |
| Future 50 Year | 2019 |
| Franchising | No |
*Technomic estimate
For more insights from Technomic as well as Technomic’s analysis, growth forecast and more: