Burgers and Froyo and Wings…Oh My! – International Franchise Expo 2013
International Franchise Expo 2013 was last week at The Javits Center in New York City.
Each year it brings together thousands of entrepreneurs and business owners for the largest franchise expo in the country…meetings, seminars, symposia and the chance to meet Franchisors exhibiting, as well as service providers. We met some great people and tasted lots of yummy samples.
Here’s what caught our eye at the Expo…
Burgers
Burgers are still hot and there are lots of franchises out there. Two stood out…
- b.good: On a quest to make fast food real, b.good offers real.food.fast with locally-raised, all-natural burgers; hand-cut fresh every day fries and fresh salads made on-site.
- BurgerFi: BurgerFi focuses on all-natural, grass-fed beef plus a menu of specialty items like Kobe beef hot dogs, gourmet toppings, delectable desserts, craft beer & wine, and an overall focus on a healthier menu selection. They also build locations with environmentally sustainable practices and maintain a strict recycling program.
Ice Cream & Yogurt
There were no shortage of ice cream and yogurt concepts…from the good ole places like Carvel to newbies. Here are a few new to us concepts…
- Froyo World: A self serve frozen yogurt lounge based in New England, their specialty is “one-of-a-kind” flavors made with their proprietary frozen yogurt recipe. The Samoa Cookie sample was incredible!!
- Forever Yogurt: Forever Yogurt strives to adopt the individuality of the community while providing an absolutely delicious product.
- SubZero: Thanks to Chemistry, Sub Zero uses Liquid Nitrogen to instantly freeze a custom ice cream, at -321 degrees Fahrenheit! Cool, literally!
Bakery & Café
Several new concepts in this specialty stood out…
- Caffé Bene: European-style café is from Korea and focuses on coffee (iced was very nice), waffles (that looked amazing) and gelato.
- Marilyn Monroe Café: Yes, THE Marilyn Monroe is the inspiration for this mid-century modern café offering coffee and light fare.
- Le Macaron: Rosalie Guillem and her daughter’s concept fulfilling their dream of sharing the incredible little morsel from their French homeland with America.
- hara donuts: Japanese concept serves up handmade doughnuts made from soymilk and soy pulp making them healthy and low calorie, with 80 unique flavors using organic ingredients. The Earl Grey doughnut was quite tasty!
- Nothing Bundt Cakes: In 1997, long-time friends Dena Tripp and Debra Shwetz joined forces and fulfilled their life long dream of becoming entrepreneurs with their perfected bundt cake recipe. And they were delicious! We went back for more!
Experiences & Fun
Experiences are clearly ‘in’ this year and there was something for all ages…
- Pinot’s Palette: Paint. Drink. Have fun.
- Painting With A Twist: It’s a little bit of paint, a little bit of wine, and a whole lot of fun!
- cool de sac: Is a family entertainment center and party place offering a variety of play stations for kids and a full service restaurant for the parents.
- Funtopia USA: Looks like an indoor carnival and arcade combined.
Chain with Best New Look
Bennigan’s, established in 1976, is rebranded with a nice new look and personality…American Fare. Irish Hospitality.
Sandwiches
There were sandwiches and subs galore but one in particular stood out…
- Cheeseboy: Grilled Cheese to Go: America’s first quick-service grilled cheese franchise bringing delicious old-fashioned grilled cheese sandwiches and soups to the places you need it most.
Biggest Sample Lines
Not everyone was giving out samples, but of the concepts that were sharing, we saw constant lines at…
- Philly Pretzel Factory: They were serving up fresh pretzels right out of the oven.
- Russo’s New York Pizzeria: Serving up their fresh baked brick oven pizza.
- hara donuts: Frying up their tasty doughnuts on site.
- The Original Soup Man: The inspiration for Seinfeld’s famous episode is now offering a food truck franchise and they were serving soup.
And that’s a wrap for International Franchise Expo 2013.
