Organic to Go acquires Jackrabbit

March 13, 2007

SEATTLE — Organic fast-casual café operator Organic To Go has acquired Jackrabbit, a Seattle-based catering company.   Terms of the purchase, which closed…

New World Restaurant Group seeks name change

March 13, 2007

Denver Post: New World Restaurant Group, parent company of  Einstein Bros. Bagels and Noah's New York Bagels, will ask shareholders to approve a name change at…

Loss narrows at NWRG

March 13, 2007

GOLDEN, Colo. — New World Restaurant Group Inc., which operates bagel restaurants under the Einstein Bros. and Noah's New York Bagels brands and franchises…

Cosi CEO steps down

March 12, 2007

DEERFIELD, Ill. —  Bakery café chain Cosi Inc. announced that chief executive Kevin Armstrong has resigned. Armstrong cited health reasons for his…

Panera comps down slightly in February

March 6, 2007

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Panera Bread Co. reported today that system-wide same-store sales at the company's bakery café restaurants decreased 0.6 percent for the five…

Caribou Coffee taps Mallet for president post

March 5, 2007

MINNEAPOLIS — Caribou Coffee Co. Inc. has named Rosalyn "Roz" Mallet as president and chief operating officer of the 464-unit coffeehouse chain.   Mallet was…

Couple weds at Illinois Panera Bread

March 4, 2007

KHQA.com: A Quincy, Ill., couple were married at their local Panera Bread Feb. 25. Brian Caldwell and Rebecca Adcox met for coffee at the same location exactly…

Bruegger's desserts go trans-fat free

March 1, 2007

BURLINGTON, Vt. — Bruegger's has cut trans fat from its dessert line in all 255 bakeries, the company announced March 1.    Their trans-fat-free dessert…

NYC rats expand dining options

February 28, 2007

NBC10 (Philadelphia): Rats have been filmed at a second New York restaurant, just days after more than a dozen were filmed scampering around a co-branded Taco…

Mimi's Café launches kids menu

February 26, 2007

TUSTIN, Calif. — Mimi's Café has introduced an all-inclusive kid's menu to provide more meal options for children and parents.    According to a news…

Atlanta Bread taps new ad agency

February 18, 2007

Adweek: Altanta Bread Co. has named Atlanta-based Blattner Brunner as its advertising agency of record. The bakery chain has spent between $500,000 and $…

Bruegger's expands into Phoenix

February 18, 2007

BURLINGTON, Vt. — Bruegger's Enterprises Inc. announced Feb. 16 it has secured an agreement to expand its bakery-cafe locations in Arizona.    Under the new…

Camille's Sidewalk Café continues expansion

February 18, 2007

TULSA, Okla. — Camille's Sidewalk Café has opened locations in Olathe, Kans., Rochester, Minn., Austin, Texas, and Lawrenceville, N.J., in the Mercer Mall…

Bruegger's spreads the love

February 13, 2007

BURLINGTON, Vt. — Bruegger's is celebrating Valentine's Day by offering red, heart-shaped bagels throughout the day Feb. 14 at the company's 260 bakery-cafes.

Brawling over breakfast

The fast-casual battle for breakfast is shaping up to be a bruiser.

Au Bon Pain looks toward expansion

February 11, 2007

Bloomberg: Facing increasing pressure from competitors like Panera Bread and Starbucks, bakery-café chain Au Bon Pain plans to add more than 200 locations in…

Panera net tops $19 million

February 8, 2007

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Panera Bread Co. reported Feb. 8 net income of $19 million for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 26.   According to the company, Panera's…

Atlanta Bread Co. intros new bread, menu offerings

February 8, 2007

SMYRNA, Ga. — Atlanta Bread Co. has introduced a new Italian ciabatta bread, which will be a permanent offering sold in the restaurant's bakery.   For a…

Fast casual segment growing in Toledo

February 5, 2007

Toledo Blade: For years, Panera Bread was king of the Toledo fast-casual market. In recent months, however, several other fast-casual chains have moved into…

Bruegger's keeps on rollin'

by Valerie Killifer — senior editor, NetWorld Alliance

Marking its 11th consecutive quarter of growth, Bruegger's CEO Jim Greco looks toward the future.