- March 28, 2024
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The Tampa area really goes all in for cheese.
Late last year it was Cabot Creamery, a dairy agricultural cooperative in New England and upstate New York that held focus groups for new products in Tampa. A Cabot marketing executive says Tampa, in addition to Gulf Coast cities like Fort Myers, has the right demographics for high-end cheese research.
Now comes news that Tom + Chee, a Cincinnati-based startup chain of fast-casual grilled cheese and soup joints, targets the Tampa area for expansion.
Tom + Chee plans to open one area location by May and two more soon after that, co-founder Corey Ward tells Coffee Talk. The chain, he adds, also seeks franchisees and development partners for Orlando and, eventually, markets south of Tampa. The firm seeks franchisees with some previous restaurant franchise experience, especially with a chain such as Five Guys Burgers and Fries.
The Florida expansion is part of a nationwide blitz, where Ward projects the company, so far with nine stores, will total nearly 50 locations in 15 states by the end of 2014. The rush to market stems from a 2013 appearance on the TV show Shark Tank: Ward says that episode, which also landed the business an investment partnership with real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran, led to 13,000 franchise inquiries. Says Ward: “It's been a bit crazy.”
No less nutty is the company's fast rise. Ward and the firm's co-founder, Trew Quackenbush, joined only by their wives, started by serving quirky soups and grilled cheese sandwiches from a food tent in Cincinnati in 2009. “We couldn't afford a restaurant or even a food truck,” says Ward in a release. “But we could buy a tent and a griddle.”
Beyond Shark Tank and other TV appearances, Ward credits the chain's simple and inexpensive menu for the surge in popularity. Most items are in the $5 range, and nothing is more than $6.50. There's also the line of fancy grilled cheese donuts, under names like Lemon Drop, The King and Bananarama. (Think lots of melted cheese and other spreads, from blueberry compote to peanut butter mascarpone, smothered between halves of a donut.)
“We are serving you classic comfort food,” Ward says. “It's not rocket science.”