With its time-tested food and streamlined operations and processes in place, the Apple Spice brand is targeting the Charlotte, North Carolina, community with its new retail café, The Apple Spice Café & Bakery. The Apple Spice Café & Bakery is a retail spin-off of Apple Spice Box Lunch & Catering Company, a delivery and catering franchise with national presence that’s been in service since 1988.

“We’re excited to now apply our 27 years of food industry experience into our retail café model serving our innovative and healthy menu to consumers who love the comfort food of a bakery café,” says Randy Clegg, founder of the Apple Spice brand.  Apple Spice is partnering with CBRE of Charlotte to bring to market the Apple Spice Café & Bakery.

According to a recent market research study conducted by IBISWorld, the bakery-cafe space is one of the newer segments in the restaurant market, and it’s the strongest and fastest growing segment in the industry.  The bakery-café models meet this demand for moderately priced, high quality, healthy meals.  Based on these trends, industry revenue is expected to grow 6.5 percent per year on average over the next five years.

“As a real estate partner, the Apple Spice Café & Bakery is unique because it is a clean restaurant model, the kitchen requirements are minimal, meaning they typically don’t need a hood or a grease trap,” says Mike Lucier, VP of Retail Service with CBRE of Charlotte.  “So they can operate in space that most traditional restaurants cannot.”

“A cafe owner will also benefit from the delivery revenue serving the business community out the back door, while offering an inviting dining experience through the front door,” says John Menesick, area developer of the Apple Spice brand.

With 18 franchisees in the box lunch delivery & catering business through the United States, the Apple Spice Café & Bakery offers investors two models: 1) Apple Spice Box Lunch Delivery & Catering, and 2) The Apple Spice retail Café.  Depending on the particular model, investors will capitalize on multiple revenue streams including dine-in, take-out, drive-thru and delivery/catering.

“Now is the time to continue to expand the Apple Spice footprint and bring great food and service to communities throughout the country,” said Clegg. “With the bakery-café market’s continued growth, it provides franchisees of the Apple Spice Café & Bakery brand the perfect opportunity to launch a new business and reach their financial goals in the process.”