Alaska Center Gets Food Court
ska Commercial Value Center here, perhaps the northernmost shopping center in North America, has received a franchised food court to augment its customer offerings.
The center consists of a supermarket on one side and general store on the other. The Barrow site, 38,000 square feet, is the second-largest for the company in Alaska.
The food court, franchised by Orion Food Systems, Sioux Falls, S.D., offers four of the company's nine proprietary brands: Hot Stuff Pizza, Smash Hit Subs, Eddie Peppers Great Mexican Food, and Cinnamon Street Bakery. According to center officials, the food court garnered about $4,000 in sales during its one-day grand opening.
Blimpie Launches C-Store Plan
MANHATTAN -- Blimpie International here has developed meal selections in convenience-store formats for additional dayparts beyond what the sub and salad operator already offers
The Have Blimpie, Will Travel program relies on a heated self-service display case merchandising select sandwiches. In the morning, Blimpie is offering three breakfast options: the Bluffin, biscuits and croissants (all with meat, egg and cheese or a combination of the items). All selections, with price points ranging from 99 cents to $1.79, are rotated out of the case every hour.
During the afternoon daypart, the case will be filled with the Blimpie Pizza Roll, made with five cheeses and sauce, and includes either pepperoni, sausage or ham, all of which are tucked inside a rolled pizza crust. The Pizza Roll is precooked and frozen, then baked on-site.
Bristol Farms, Peet's Team
LOS ANGELES -- Bristol Farms, the specialty gourmet-food retailer based here, has signed an agreement with the Berkeley, Calif.-based Peet's Coffee & Tea chain to sell the coffee roaster's coffee at all seven Bristol Farms stores.
Peet's signature whole bean coffee was first introduced to Bristol Farms customers at the Bristol Farms Westlake Village unit, with the rollout continuing to the other stores at a rate of one per week. Beginning in the fall, Bristol Farms will begin serving fresh-brewed Peet's coffee and espresso drinks at the Bristol Cafes within each store.
The partnership was announced with a series of Bristol Farms advertising inserts in local newspapers, as well in a direct-mail campaign to Peet's customers. Grand-opening promotions were also held at each Bristol Farms store, with the proceeds going to benefit local charities.
Perdue Updates Food Facility
CONCORD, N.C. -- Perdue Farms has opened an updated prepared-food/cooking plant here, after gutting and renovating the facility, which until now had been a conventional chicken-processing plant.
According to company officials, production at the plant will be steadily increased until it reaches full capacity in late 1999. At that time, it is estimated that up to 60 million pounds of poultry products will be processed here.
As part of the renovation, the company has installed advanced automated equipment, including thermal oil-heated fryers, impingement ovens, spiral belt freezers and computerized forming machines.
