From East Coast to West, Corner Bakery Grows

Corner Bakery Cafe’s franchise development program sees continued success with the announcement of two new franchise partners, South Florida–based CB Rest Holdings LLC and California-based Preferred Hospitality Inc. Corner Bakery Cafe will work with CB Rest Holdings LLC to open 15 cafes in South Florida in the next eight years and Preferred Hospitality Inc. to open 12 locations in Southern California within the next seven years. These partnerships contribute to a list of recently confirmed franchise locations that will more than double the current Corner Bakery Cafe system. Additionally, partnering with CB Rest Holdings LLC allows Corner Bakery Cafe to enter Florida for the first time.

“From the east coast to the west, partnering with CB Rest Holdings and Preferred Hospitality allows us to continue to meet our cross-country expansion goals with two highly-respected and successful organizations,” says Bob Hartmann, Corner Bakery Cafe vice president of franchise development. “Furthermore, these partnerships give us the opportunity to introduce our signature offerings to South Florida neighborhoods as well as expand our presence in the Southern California market. After launching our strategic franchise development program less than four years ago, we are excited to see how much we’ve grown and how much we will continue to grow with amazing partnerships like these.”

“We are extremely proud to join the Corner Bakery Cafe team,” says Jhonny Mercado, chairman of CB Rest Holdings LLC, a multi-concept restaurateur with over 25 years of industry experience in Florida, Mexico, and South America. “We hold ourselves to very high standards when it comes to serving guests, and it’s easy to see, with its focus on quality, that Corner Bakery possesses these same values. We are tremendously excited to join forces with such a highly successful operation.”

CB Rest Holdings LLC is slated to open 15 cafes throughout South Florida in Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. In addition to Corner Bakery Cafe, Mercado’s team has developed its own brand, Migas Cafes, and operates over 120 locations for restaurant chains including Wendy’s, T.G.I. Friday’s, Sukihana, and Pizza Hut in South Florida, Mexico, and South America.

“A nationally recognized brand, Corner Bakery Cafe supports our commitment to delivering superior quality food and an affordable, fast-casual dining experience to the residents of Inland Empire,” says Rodney Couch, founder and president of Preferred Hospitality Inc. “As a local entrepreneur, I am pleased to offer this premier brand to our Southern California guests and friends.”

Expected to open its first Corner Bakery Cafe location in 2011, Preferred Hospitality Inc. is working to identify real estate within the Southern California market. Preferred Hospitality Inc. also operates Market Broiler Restaurants, a chain of full-service fresh fish and seafood restaurants with five locations in California, and Provider Contract Food Service, which specializes in contract foodservice and provides catering for large events.

With the CB Rest Holdings LLC and Preferred Hospitality Inc. partnerships, CBC Restaurant Corp. has signed development agreements representing over 150 committed franchise locations, which will more than double the current Corner Bakery Cafe system.