Who owns fresh choice

Given our supermarkets are locally owned, we also offer a range of local goods and services, so don't hesitate to check out what your local FreshChoice has to offer. About FreshChoice Supermarkets. Skip to content. About FreshChoice Supermarkets The home of where fresh meets local. The FreshChoice Way At FreshChoice our aim is to provide our locals quick and friendly service with a range that has everything you want and is just what you need. We are the FreshChoice!

Our Core Services We offer a full service supermarket to 31 communities across the country. You can find your local store here. A number of our supermarkets also offer online shopping, where you can shop online and collect in-store or get groceries delivered to your door. Other problems included declining same-store sales especially at lunch , the perception that the restaurant did not offer a value, and patron dissatisfaction with lines. In addition, costs outside California were a quarter to a half percent higher, due to the expense of shipping California produce.

California restaurants were also hurt by the economy and the rains. The restaurants rolled back their prices to regain a following. In , the company returned to a dual price structure, which it had used until A third, combo price was offered for unlimited access to all choices. Entrees began to feature more meat, nuts, and cheeses, including gourmet pizzas and hearth-style breads stuffed with herbs, walnuts, and vegetables.

A major change implemented in was the introduction of scatter bars, allowing customers to select their items from several locations around the restaurant, eliminating bottlenecks, long lines, and the unpleasantness associated with waiting. Other methods instituted to bring the company back to its previous Wall Street status included the addition of a server to the operation, as well as baked potatoes and more filled pastas on the menu.

By changing building materials, the company also cut its per unit investment by 10 percent. Fresh Choice had been criticized by Wall Street analysts for its lack of seasoned executives appointed from outside the company, and in March the company brought in Charles Lynch, former Saga Corp.

Lynch succeeded cofounder Martin Culver, who was to remain as president and CEO of the company, which now comprised 53 restaurants. Investor Richard Rainwater of Texas acquired 9 percent of the company's stock, telling the San Francisco Chronicle that he believed the company could be turned around.

Two months later, Culver severed all professional ties with the company he had cofounded, stating publicly that it was time for a managerial change. Culver remained Fresh Choice's largest shareholder. One day later, marketing director Steve Pieters, a longtime associate of Culver's, followed suit and left the company.

Charles Lynch was given the additional title of chief executive. Stock prices rose by a cumulative Immediately, he pulled the reins in on expansion, and ordered a review of the 55 restaurants in operation. Lynch publicly addressed the confusion caused by price increases and rapidly rotating menu items in restaurant operations, and turned efforts toward major regrouping. Lynch responded by bringing previously subcontracted janitorial services in-house, reducing the frequency of food rotation, and cutting corporate staff by 30 percent.

He began work on a new restaurant prototype with lower development costs. The company's takeout business was also expanded in order to achieve better profits. Advertising costs were raised from 2. Finally, Lynch launched initiatives to endow general managers with entrepreneurial interests, tying bonuses to the bottom line more than they had been in the past.

Significantly, leadership continued to turn over amid these financial struggles. In December , Fresh Choice hired former Bennigan's leader Robert Ferngren as president and chief executive, essentially filling the position vacated by Culver. In addition to serving as president of Bennigan's, Ferngren had worked at America's Clubhouse Grill, a folded chain.

A new vice president of marketing, Tim O'Shea, was also hired. The company continued to struggle in , with steady operating losses between the end of and the first quarter of A profit was achieved in the second and third quarters of , but the fourth quarter returned to loss status. Business was ended in the Washington, D. At the end of , Fresh Choice operated 48 restaurants, down from 55 the year before. Menu expansion took place in the form of Sizzlin' Pan Pasta, a line of pan-sauteed pasta recipes prepared continually through the day.

The Roseville store featured a warmer, more inviting decor and a more efficient layout. Menu changes included new items such as Madras chicken salad, reggae chicken salad, and smokehouse cheddar soup, and new uniforms with fruit and vegetable graphics were implemented, along with the expansion of beverage offerings to include espresso and fruit smoothie stations. Comparable store sales decreased 5. Robert Ferngren had resigned to become vice president of Rare Hospitality, Inc.

Jefferson was previously chairman of Cucina Holdings, Inc. Jefferson announced plans to examine new options for the company, including: the return of the frequent-diner punch card; positioning of cash registers at the end of the line to eliminate the perception of long waits; the addition of protein items such as rotisserie chicken as an "add-on" selection at an additional price; and an increase in advertising expenses. In addition to these measures, the company began to thoroughly examine other opportunities for building business, including a marketing campaign aimed at converting first-time customers into repeat diners, new openings and acquisitions in California and Texas, take-out business, catering, morning meals, and the addition of more protein to the menu in response to results of customer surveys.

The aggressive marketing campaign included an advertising blitz with the company's first television commercials. In April , the company purchased three Zoopa restaurants in the Puget Sound area of Washington state, which it would operate under the Zoopa name. Charles Lynch announced that the purchase would broaden Fresh Choice's market position, as the first step in the current return to growth strategy.

The Zoopa purchase was another step forward, but the question remained whether Fresh Choice would ever regain the profitable status it realized prior to its overambitious expansion. The company, it seems, will only return to long-term profitability with the implementation of a thoroughly researched long-term plan by a committed senior staff who will ride the ship through the storm. Toggle navigation. User Contributions:.