CINNABON BAKERY AND ESPRESSO BAR PERK UP THRIFTY'S FIRST FOOD COURT

ROSEANNE HARPER

BURLINGTON, Wash. -- Thrifty Foods Inc. here got its first food court off to a sweet start with a Cinnabon World Famous cinnamon roll bakery, paired with a Cinnabon espresso bar.

The chain, which has 20 stores, launched the food court in a remodeled Food Pavilion unit in Richland, Wash. The company's eight units under the Food Pavilion banner are its largest, averaging 60,000 square feet, and are price-oriented, according to Thrifty officials. The chain's other stores, operating under the Thrifty Foods banner, adhere to a smaller, more traditional format.

The Cinnabon stations are the only programs in the new court that are not Thrifty's own concepts. Other food court elements at the Richland Food Pavilion unit include the retailer's own pizza program and a made-to-order sandwich station. Seating accommodates 50 people.

Thrifty officials said that, beyond the Cinnabon operations, the company has no plans to bring in additional branded food court concepts from the outside.

"Cinnabon projects a quality image and it brings a uniqueness to our store," said Kirk Wilson, president of Thrifty Foods. "It gives us something different at a time when we don't have time to do that ourselves. We're busy enough expanding our own food-service programs."

At the Richland store, the combination of the Cinnabon and Cinnabon's Rubymoon coffee bar concepts head the fresh food aisle.

The two stations, adjacent to each other, are the first elements customers see as they enter one of two main entrances at the store. Some nearby seating is provided at the Cinnabon operations, while additional seating for the food court is incorporated further back in the fresh food aisle.

The made-to-order sandwich station comes next in the fresh food aisle, after the Cinnabon and Rubymoon operations.

The store's in-store bakery, meanwhile, is toward the end of the fresh food aisle at the back of the store.

Wilson acknowledged that the presence of Cinnabon so early in the store traffic pattern could result in some degree of cannibalizing when it comes to the store's overall fresh bakery sales.

"It could give us a little competition, but it also could be an entirely different market," he reasoned. The recognized brand could even be a draw, Wilson added.

It's too early for a good evaluation of the effect of Cinnabon on other fresh food sales, since the remodeled Richland store has been up and running only since August, he said.

That unit will be just the beginning of a pairing between Cinnabon stations and Thrifty's food court expansion, according to Wilson.

The company plans to add the twinned Cinnabon and Rubymoon stations in three to five more stores over the next six months, he said. The next installment is set for a new Food Pavilion store to be opened in Arlington, Wash., late in the fall, Wilson said.

Asked if the concept would be rolled out to all the chain's stores, Wilson said, "We'll be watching these closely to see how they do."

He added that the combination of Cinnabon and Rubymoon is expected to be particularly appealing to Thrifty's customers. "You know, espresso in the Northwest is beyond being trendy. It's just a fact of life. Wherever it makes sense to put both in, that's what we want to do," he said.

Wilson also said that in addition to establishing a link with an essential food-service trend, the recognized Cinnabon brand is an important element in Thrifty's attempt to create an atmosphere for the food court.

"The uniformed personnel, the way the counter looks, lend a professional touch," he said. Many Food Pavilion customers have become acquainted with the Cinnabon brand while visiting a shopping center about 15 miles away, Wilson added.

The Cinnabon counter also provides theater inside the store. "The aroma is great and the activity attracts customers," Wilson said.