The Chronicle‘s David Kaplan reports that Cafe Express has been re-acquired by its founders from Wendy’s:
Schiller Del Grande expanded its pioneering fast-casual concept Cafe Express into a 16-store chain and then sold a major share of it to corporate giant Wendy’s.
Now the Houston company’s got it back and is returning it to its roots.
Why take it back?
“It’s like kids,” said Robert Del Grande, a Schiller Del Grande partner. “You raise them, and then they want to come back home.”
Besides, CEO Lonnie Schiller said, they know Cafe Express inside and out.
And they still love the concept, a casual restaurant that serves salads, soups, pastas, burgers, sandwiches, and grilled and roasted entrees quickly.
I must confess that I like some of the salads at Cafe Express (even during the Wendy’s era). At the locations I visit, though, the service has deteriorated badly over the past couple of months. It is silly to wait in a SLOW-moving line 15 people deep for the fare being offered by Cafe Express, especially when the food AND service are so much better at competitors like Pronto Cucinino. Perhaps the original owners can get the chain back on the right track.
BLOGVERSATION: Houston’s Clear Thinkers.
