Così (restaurant)

Così
NASDAQ: COSI
Formerly called
 Xando, Xando Cosi
Industry fast-casual restaurants
Founded New York City, United States (1996)
Headquarters Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Number of locations
 71 (October, 2016)
Key people
 RJ Dourney (CEO)
Website www.getcosi.com
Cosi on South Michigan Ave, Chicago, Illinois

Così, based in Boston, Massachusetts, is a fast-casual restaurant chain that is known for its homemade flatbread. The name comes from the opera Così fan tutte, which was a favorite of the original owner.[1]

Corporate history

The original Così restaurant was based on a small cafe in Paris, France. Cosi was founded in the United States in 1996, and there are currently over 100 locations in the continental United States, Costa Rica, and the United Arab Emirates. In October 1999, Così merged with the cafe/bar chain XandO (formerly ZuZu).[2] Così's peak traffic was during the lunch hour, while XandO did heavy business in the evenings, allowing the two companies to complement each other's strengths. Cosi restaurants are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Cosi implemented a loyalty program in 2007.

In June 2010 Così sold its District of Columbia stores to Capitol C Restaurants who will run them under a franchise agreement.[3] Capitol C is the owner of Qdoba Mexican Grill.[4]

RJ Dourney was voted CEO in March 2014 by Cosi's board of directors.[5]

In September 2016, a month after terminating Dourney, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization and announced that a group headed by one of its lenders would serve as a stalking horse bidder.[6] It also closed 29 of its 74 company-owned units. On October 11, 2016, Cosi announced that it is seeking buyers for "substantially all of its assets."[7]

As of October 2016, 71 Cosi locations remained in operation. [8]

Fare

Fare include sandwiches, soups, salads, flatbread pizzas, bowls, coffee, and handcrafted beverages. Cosi's menu features a variety of menu items that include unique variations, such as providing options to receive combination plates with half-orders of various items. The company has a signature item called Squagels, which is a square-shaped bagel. Cosi's bread is baked in an open flame oven in full view of customers. Their flatbread is based on a 2,000-year-old recipe.[4] Customers receive a sample of bread with their order.

All Così restaurants also feature a full-service espresso bar and some serve alcohol. They are also known for serving s'mores as a dessert..

References

  1. ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions". Così. Archived from the original on 2009-11-04. Retrieved 2009-11-12.
  2. ↑ Karyn Strauss (1999-10-04). "Xando-Cosi merger seen as target for larger audiences". Nation's Restaurant News. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
  3. ↑ "Cosi sells 13 Washington, D.C., restaurants for $8.4M". Fastcasual.com. April 27, 2010. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  4. 1 2 "About Us". Così. Archived from the original on 2009-10-20. Retrieved 2009-11-12.
  5. ↑ Wohl, Jessica (16 April 2014). "Cosi moving from Deerfield to Boston". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  6. ↑ Maze, Jonathan (28 September 2016). "Così files for bankruptcy". Nation's Restaurant News. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  7. ↑ Carlock, Catherine (11 October 2016). "After bankruptcy and delisting, Cosi offers all assets for sale". Boston Business Journal. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  8. ↑ https://www.getcosi.com/locations/region

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Così.


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