News

Corner Bakery spreading across Tennessee, Kentucky

April 3, 2014

Corner Bakery Café has signed a multi-unit development agreement with Half Baked to open its first restaurants in Central and Eastern Tennessee as well as the state of Kentucky beginning next year and the remaining sites over the next nine years. The initial focus will be on the Nashville MSA, according to a company press release.

The group of veteran hospitality operators joins a roster of 28 franchise partners. With 55 open franchise cafes and development commitments for more than 350 units, Corner Bakery Café continues on its goal to more than double its U.S. footprint in the next three years.

"We've been looking to expand our portfolio into fast casual for about five years now, and we feel that Corner Bakery Café is the perfect partner and concept for this move," said Dan Davis, president of Rafferty's and partner of Half Baked. "We believe Corner Bakery Café is a great brand with quality menu items. Some of the things that we found exceptional about the brand are the breadth of the menu and its operational excellence."

The chain is also looking to expand to new markets in Alabama, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio, among others.

"We're thrilled to announce this great news regarding our latest development agreement, and expanding the reach of our signature neighborhood bakery cafe experience into new markets such as Nashville and Kentucky," said Gregg Koffler, VP of Franchise Sales for Corner Bakery Café. "Neighborhoods are an important part of both communities, and we are confident that our cafes will quickly become a local favorite in these new markets."