UFood Restaurant Group Inc. has partnered with Euro Café to test a newly created co-branded “mobile cafe” in Washington D.C. The mobile café concept is a high-powered limited-menu restaurant on four wheels – served from a well-appointed Mercedes Benz super-truck. The new mobile concept will offer better-for-you items such as cage-free egg white breakfast sandwiches, organic salads, whole-grain rice UBowls, Naan flatbread sandwiches, sirloin or veggie burgers and fresh-fruit & yogurt Smuuthies along with freshly-roasted European-style coffees, iced coffees, tea drinks and frozen frappes.
To captain the new mobile units, UFood & Euro Café will aggressively seek out new franchisees from within the ranks of US military veterans – which is in lock step with UFood’s recent entrée into the military channel with UFood Grill’s healthier menu. This spring they will open three new restaurants at the Aberdeen Proving Ground military complex in Aberdeen, MD.
The new “mobile café” announcement also comes on the heels of the Company’s recent partnership announcement with Euro Café Corporation to create co-branded restaurant concepts in airports, shopping centers, malls, college campuses, hospitals, casinos, health clubs and military bases.
Euro Café – a purveyor of fine European-style coffees, beverages and baked goods, operates 35 locations, including 32 cafés in 22 airports in the U.S. and Canada in partnership with Hudson News. Euro Café Corporation is a family-owned company incorporated in Virginia in 1997. The company currently serves customers a rich European blend of coffee and has a commitment to sustainability.
“Euro Cafe Corporation is proud and excited to advance the new mobile café concept with our partners at UFood Grill,” said John A. Hus, president, Euro Café. “This extends our partnership beyond non-traditional growth opportunities – bringing great coffees and fresh, better-for-you foods directly into the community.”
UFood Chairman and CEO, George Naddaff noted, “Not only does the mobile café approach extend our reach beyond non-traditional locations – but we’re extremely proud that these mobile cafes will be available to be owned & operated by retired US military veterans – we look forward to providing a new opportunity for their future financial success.”
UFood Grill currently operates restaurants in a number of trade channels including airports, hospitals, shopping centers and urban storefronts. The company’s airport locations are in Boston, Cleveland and Dallas, with two units under construction at Salt Lake City International Airport, expected to open in late April 2012. UFood has been approved for expansion into the military channel and will open three units at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, the first of which is under construction and the second is planned for construction start in six weeks.
The place where “delicious meets nutritious,” UFood Grill is committed to offering consumers food that tastes great, is lower in calories and fat and, wherever possible, serves meals that are antibiotic and hormone-free, gluten-free as well as natural, grass-fed beef and cage-free eggs. UFood boasts a wide-ranging menu that includes lean burgers, rice bowls, salads, wraps, paninis and smoothies.
Headquartered in Boston, Mass., UFood Restaurant Group, Inc. is a franchisor and operator of fast-casual food service restaurants. UFood Grill offers a healthy lifestyle alternative to consumers in the fast-casual restaurant space and is positioned to become a leading player in the “better-for-you” quick-serve restaurant category. The Company is led by franchise innovator George Naddaff, who founded Boston Market and led the franchising of several companies including Sylvan Learning Center and VR Business Brokers. Mr. Naddaff also founded two of the first educational day care centers in the United States, Living and Learning Centers and Mulberry Child Care Centers, both of which were sold to KinderCare. Mr. Naddaff has assembled a veteran management team at UFood Grill with a successful record in the franchise market. UFood is currently launching a growth plan to franchise nationwide. To learn more, visit www.ufoodgrill.com.
