Loading
There’s a new lunch option in town.
Apple Spice Box Lunch Delivery & Catering Co. has opened a location in Sarasota.
The 30-year-old company based in Salt Lake City has more than 40 locations around the country. Randy Whitmer and his wife, Annette Whitmer, have become franchisees in Sarasota.
The location serves customers in Sarasota, Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch. Customers can order sandwiches, salads, soups and more. Apple Spice also does breakfast and lunch catering.
“The food variety is fantastic,” Randy Whitmer tells Coffee Talk. “Apple Spice is effectively a logistics company for food. We don’t have any in-house dining — it’s pickup or delivery.”
Whitmer, who also works for a small family office, says Apple Spice makes sourdough, 13 grain and honey wheat bread fresh daily. “We are very proud of the quality of the product we put out,” he says.
Whitmer says he was looking for a business and found Apple Spice through a broker. “It didn’t necessarily need to be food. In fact, I was trying to avoid a food concept, but I told the broker I was working with that I would look at a food concept if it was unique.”
He felt the Apple Spice concept was special and also appreciated the work-life balance that offered Monday through Friday hours without night, weekend or holiday work. “The main thing is it’s a healthy, delicious food product that can serve the market,” Whitmer says.
Another key element he appreciates about Apple Spice is customer service. “Most of our customers who order are called in the afternoon,” he says. The company follows up to make sure customers are happy and satisfied with their orders.
Since opening in mid-July, Whitmer says business has been going well. “We’ve had a tremendous response from the marketplace,” he says.
Next order up? Whitmer hopes to open a location in Tampa during the second quarter of 2019.
Your free article limit has been reached this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited digital access to our award-winning business news.
Join thousands of executives who rely on us for insights spanning Tampa Bay to Naples.
