Article

No soup for you? SoupMobiles could change that

Low cost, powerful brand story make SoupMobiles attractive to new franchisees, CEO Lloyd Sugarman says.

August 7, 2014 by Brenda Rick Smith — Editor, Networld Media Group

More than 20 years after the TV show "Seinfeld" introduced "No soup for you!" to the pop lexicon, Soupman Inc. is hoping to turn that emphatic phrase on its ear by bringing soup to the street through a fleet of food trucks and carts.

Soupman, the brand launched by Al Yeganeh, the inspiration for the passionate soup maker immortalized in a 1995 episode of Seinfeld, hopes to launch 100 SoupMobile food trucks and carts over the next few years.

The truck concept features Yeganeh's stern visage and the phrase, "Soup for you!"

Soupman CEO Lloyd Sugarman hopes to have as many as 20 of these trucks and carts rolling in the next 18 months. Currently, Soupman has three mobile units on the road in Brooklyn, N.Y., New Jersey and Kansas City, Kan.

"One of the positives is there's not a lot of other people in our space," said Sugarman. "There's nobody else doing the kinds of thing we're doing, that have the national notoriety we have."

That notoriety makes owning a SoupMobile an attractive option for potential franchisees, even franchisees without a strong culinary background, according to Sugarman.

"If you wanted to go out and have a truck of your own and you're not a chef, this is a great way you be a part of it," he said.

Franchisees can get a SoupMobile truck on the road for much less than a traditional brick and mortar location. Trucks can be launched for well under $150,000 – possibly as little as $35,000 to $40,000 according to Sugarman -- while an Original SoupMan store requires $100,000 to $250,000.

With special financing options available to veterans, Sugarman believes purchasing a SoupMobile may be particularly attractive to former service members.

It's art, not soup

To get the fleet rolling, soups will be delivered flash frozen to trucks, then heated for service. Flash freezing ensures the quality of the soup, a hallmark of the brand, according to Sugarman.

"We know we have the consistency we need to ensure the quality product," he said.

Though menus are still being developed, each truck will offer somewhere in the neighborhood of nine soup flavors, including core favorites like lobster bisque, cheese and broccoli, mulligatawny and jambalaya.

The mobile units will also offer sandwiches popular in the brand's full concept brick and mortar stores, such as the lobster roll.

Franchisees will be able to serve higher-end fare because they can "take advantage of buying power – they could never purchase and sell a lobster roll for $10" said Sugarman.

Soupman is not targeting particular markets, but sees the most potential for growth in northern markets.

"The areas of the Northeast especially have opportunity, because of the weather, density of the people, brand awareness," explained Sugarman. "We'll grow from those markets."

Leveraging retail

Soupman's push toward food trucks also leverages the brand's expansion into retail, according to Sugarman. Soupman launched a line of shelf-stable soups in grocery stores nationwide in 2012.

The retail availability could be an advantage for SoupMobile trucks in areas where grocery stores stock Soupman products, and the availability of SoupMobile trucks for special community events could be attractive to retailers who stock those products, said Sugarman.

About Brenda Rick Smith

Brenda has more than 20 years of experience as a marketing and public relations professional. She invested most of her career telling the story of entrepreneurial non-profit organizations, particularly through social media.

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