Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon announced on November 4th that they have struck a deal with franchise group Fresh Dining Concepts to bring 10 co-branded Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon locations to the five New York City boroughs over the next four years.
Fresh Dining Concepts is one of the largest Focus Brands franchisee groups in the country. Operating 53 locations across 7 states, Fresh Dining Concepts is part of the Green Shoot Partners family of companies. Luis San Miguel currently serves as President and CEO of Fresh Dining Concepts and brings with him decades of experience, having previously served as CEO of TOMS King LLC, which operated 58 burger king restaurants across the country.
The new deal is a significant step forward in advancing the brand outside of the traditional mall setting. Brian Krause, Chief Development Officer of Focus Brands, said of the deal, “Partnering with an industry leader like Fresh Dining Concepts, who really understands the power and benefits of co-branding, gives us the chance to expand in priority markets like New York City.”
When speaking about the brands, Luis San Miguel said “Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon are iconic brands that are similar from an operations standpoint and the menus complement each other very well. There’s immense value in co-branding, not only from an operations and real estate perspective, but it’s also becoming the guest’s preference as a one-stop-shop for snacking, no matter their craving. Focus Brands’ specialty brands are leading the way in this area and we’re excited to work together to give our guests across the five boroughs more access to Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon.”
With over 150 co-branded locations of their specialty brands in airports, malls, street side venues, college campuses, and entertainment venues, Focus Brands leverages consumer insights and utilizes key learnings from these locations to streamline operating models to develop and refine concept prototypes that will help build the co-brand strategy.
The new deal is an exciting opportunity for both Focus Brands and Fresh Dining Concepts, who are eagerly awaiting the expansion of their popular brands into the rest of New York. At the moment, Focus Brands’ other affiliate brands, including Jamba, Carvel, Moe’s Southwest Grill, McAlister’s Deli and Schlotzsky’s, are looking to add qualified franchisees to their growing franchise system. If you’re an operator interested in expanding through co-branding opportunities, visit https://www.focusbrands.com/franchising/ to learn more about these opportunities.
