Parties to open 17 of 18 planned cafés in mall center courts in just 17 months
From San Francisco to Hickory, NC, and Shreveport, La., to Traverse City, Mich., a total of 17 shopping malls owned and operated by Rouse Properties, Inc. (NYSE: RSE) are now, or will soon be, home to mouthwatering new cafés owned by franchisees of Nestlé Toll House Café by Chip.
The two organizations entered into a long-term master lease agreement in October 2013, with the goal of opening 18 new bakery cafés in regional enclosed malls under Rouse’s management. Three months later, the first location debuted in the center court of Animas Valley Mall in Farmington, NM, and the 17th café is set to open in June in the West Valley Mall in Tracy, Calif. Currently, only one of the original planned units is still looking for a franchise partner to construct and operate.
“To complete 17 of 18 planned openings in such a condensed period of time is nothing short of phenomenal,” said Scott McIntosh, vice president of franchise development for Nestlé Toll House Café. “Our alliance with Rouse has been extraordinarily successful, and the strong performance by our franchise partners in their malls – 14 different franchisees in all – is proof positive that the relationship has been a win for everyone involved, including our customers.”
Each of the Rouse malls are showcasing Nestlé Toll House Café’s enhanced kiosk concept, which includes comfortable seating, digital menus displayed on eight LED screens and an upgraded design that features the brand’s distinctive product offerings in a more efficient and attractive manner. Bar seating is also available around the sides of the kiosk, as well as tables and soft seating in the adjacent area.
“As we said at the beginning of this relationship, we are always looking for innovative ways to enhance the shopping experience and keep consumers coming back to our centers,” said Brian Harper, Executive Vice President Leasing of Rouse Properties. “As we look back now on the past 17 months, it’s clear that we chose an excellent partner in Nestlé Toll House Café. They have attracted top-notch franchisees to operate their cafés, which have driven increased foot traffic and provided shoppers with a high quality social experience that encourages increased time spent at each of our malls.”
The following 13 Rouse Properties locations have welcomed a Nestlé Toll House Café to their center courts over the past several months:
- Animas Valley Mall – Farmington, N.M.
- Birchwood Mall – Port Huron, Mich.
- Collin Creek Mall – Plano, TX (Dallas)
- Grand Traverse Mall – Traverse City, Mich.
- Lansing Mall – Lansing, Mich.
- Lakeland Square – Lakeland, Fla. (Orlando)
- Mall St. Vincent – Shreveport, La.
- Sikes Senter Mall – Wichita Falls, TX
- Southland Center – Taylor, Mich. (Detroit)
- Spring Hill Mall – West Dundee, Ill. (Chicago)
- The Mall at Turtle Creek – Jonesboro, Ark.
- Valley Hills Mall – Hickory, N.C.
- Vista Ridge Mall – Lewisville, TX (Dallas)
The following malls will welcome new cafés over the next several weeks:
- NewPark Mall – Newark, Calif. (San Francisco) – opens May 2015
- Chula Vista Center – Chula Vista, Calif. (San Diego) – opens May 2015
- Southland Mall – Hayward, Calif. (San Francisco) – opens June 2015
- West Valley Mall – Tracy, Calif. (San Francisco) – opens June 2015
The premium dessert destination concept is built around the world’s most powerful food brand – Nestlé. Each café serves up freshly baked cookies, premium Nescafe Milano coffee, ice cream and a wide array of delectable treats. Most cafés also offer breakfast muffins, cinnamon rolls and croissants; gourmet sandwiches, crepes and Paninis as lunch and dinner options; and barista-quality espressos, cappuccinos and lattes.
When it opens in June, the West Valley Mall café will be the 16th in California and the 153rd Nestlé Toll House Café system-wide.
Nestlé Toll House Café by Chip is a premiere dessert and bakery café offering customers an unrivaled experience through the use of fine ingredients, indulgent creations, distinct flavor profiles, and the rich tradition of the very best Nestlé brands. Crest Foods Inc., franchisor of Nestlé Toll House Café by Chip, based in Richardson, Texas, is a premiere restaurant franchisor company. The company currently franchises more than 145 bakery cafés in the United States, Canada and the Middle East. The versatile concept has kiosk, in-line mall and street café locations. The first café opened in 2000. Nestlé Toll House Café by Chip has been recognized by Entrepreneur magazine’s “Franchise 500” for the last nine consecutive years through 2015. For more information, visit NestleCafe.com.
Rouse is a publicly traded real estate investment trust headquartered in New York City and founded on a legacy of innovation and creativity. Among the country’s largest publicly traded regional mall owners, the Company’s geographically diverse portfolio spans the United States from coast to coast, and includes 32 malls in 19 states encompassing over 21.5 million square feet of space. For more information, visit RouseProperties.com.
