Commitment to Quality Food and Top Tier Customer Service Make Zoup! the Soup Brand to Watch

When Eric Ersher first got into the soup business, he knew he had stumbled upon something special. At first, he and his original partner made soup and spice mixes for restaurants. But they quickly realized that while there’s a universal demand for quality soup across the country, there wasn’t a brand out there that could create the feelings of comfort, warmth and well-being that are most often associated with a hot bowl of soup. So they decided to create Zoup!

“Our first business gave us an inside look at the state of the soup industry. By having kitchen-door access to top chefs and managers at hundreds of restaurants, we learned that there was a disconnect between the soup customers wanted and what they were being served,” said Ersher, Zoup!’s Founder and CEO. “We saw the opportunity to set a new standard for soup. It seems simple, but people seldom find the time to make their own soups from scratch. Now, Zoup! solves that problem.”

Backed by hundreds of award-winning soups, Zoup! fills the once glaring gap in the marketplace. The brand offers its customers 12 always-rotating daily varieties like Chicken Potpie, Lobster Bisque and Vegetarian Split Pea that are equal parts delicious and nutritious. And, Zoup! caters to customers’ dietary preferences and restrictions by including menu items that are low-fat, vegetarian, dairy-free, spicy or even made with gluten-free ingredients. Every bowl of Zoup! soup is also served with a hunk of freshly baked bread.

“We’re constantly refining our soup recipes to ensure that our customers are receiving the best possible options. We refuse to settle—Zoup! is 100 percent committed to raising the bar in the soup industry,” said Ersher. “That passionate and dedicated mentality has also allowed us to expand our menu beyond our signature soup options. Zoup! offers made-to-order sandwiches and salads to best cater to our customers’ tastes and demands. And consumers can even make quality soups at home by bringing home a jar of our Good, Really GoodÔ broth.”

Beyond Zoup!’s premium products, the brand boasts a one-of-a kind culture that gives it a distinct competitive advantage in the industry. Ersher and the company’s president, Richard Simtob, built the brand with the belief that its culture is as important as its products. That’s where Zoup!isms come in—core values like “Everything Matters,” “Find Ways to Say Yes” and “The Customer is Always the Customer” set the tone for its employees on a daily basis. That positive attitude and environment is then transferred to every customer who walks through Zoup!’s doors.

With more than 100 locations across the country, it’s clear that consumers are catching on to the Zoup! difference. The brand’s success is highly visible in the its system-wide sales, which hit $47.6 million in 2015 compared to $28.2 million the year before. That’s a 25 percent jump. And with new franchisees entering Zoup!’s system and opening their doors in communities across the country, even more consumers will gain access to the brand’s superior concept in the year ahead.

“Zoup!’s momentum heading into the rest of 2017 is incredibly strong. We’re excited to continue building our brand awareness and expanding our reach in the months to come,” said Richard Zimmer, Zoup!’s director of franchise development and real estate. “Through our commitment to quality and innovation, there’s no doubt that we’ll continue to set the pace in the growing soup segment of the restaurant industry.”