Franchise Times: Four Fast-Casual Concepts Enter U.S.

Four fast-casual restaurants - Paris Baguette*, Burgerim, Vapiano and Spoleto - are entering the U.S. market. As reported by Franchise Times, here is a breakdown of the concepts and their rivals.

Paris Baguette
Even with the success of their 3,700 plus locations abroad, primarily in South Korea, “the French bakery and cafe concept is confident it can achieve even greater success expanding in the U.S. than any other country.” A few rivals include 85 degrees, Panera and Corner Bakery.

Burgerim
Burgerim is all about the mini burger. They’re expanding to U.S. cities such as Florida, Tennessee, Texas, Colorado and Nevada. Burgerim sets themselves apart from rivals “by offering 12 different flavors of mini gourmet burgers, each with unique ingredients built into the patty. Plus, the franchise sells alcohol and offers delivery, creating additional revenue streams.”

Vapiano
This upscale pasta and pizza bar is looking to double their locations in the U.S. by 2018. “The U.S. is the biggest restaurant consumer country in the world,” says CEO Carlos Politano. They’re addressing the challenge of expensive real estate by opening more locations in smaller suburbs, especially in and around Chicago.

Spoleto
According to Franchise Times, Spoleto says they’ve already received over 100 inquiries from potential franchisees in the U.S. President and CEO John Velasquez says, “We feel really good that once we turn the green light on for franchising, we’ll probably be able to develop a large number of stores around the country.”

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