BIGGBY COFFEE Celebrates Its 15th Birthday This Month

EAST LANSING, Mich., March 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Michigan-based BIGGBY COFFEE celebrates its 15th year of business this month by offering a free tall drink to all customers on the 15th of March.  

BIGGBY COFFEE is coming off its best year to date in 2009, with positive same store sales during the latest 12-month period and growth of nearly seven percent in the past three months.  The positive news contrasts a study issued last week by the Michigan Restaurant Association (MRA) that reported a 3.26 percent decline in retail food and beverage sales in 2009.

As a special thank you to their customers all participating BIGGBY COFFEE stores will offer a free tall drink on March 15. To receive the free drink, customers must be current "E-ward" members.  Membership sign up is free at www.biggby.com. In addition to the free drink offer this month, E-ward participants will receive free gifts or coupons on the 15th of every month throughout the year.  

BIGGBY COFFEE partners Bob Fish, Mary Roszel, Michael McFall and Sandy Green will be on hand for a special birthday party on March 15 at the original BIGGBY COFFEE in East Lansing where the "Big Orange B" got its start.  Anyone visiting the cafe at 270 West Grand River Avenue in East Lansing will be offered their drink of choice for free from 8 a.m. to noon as a special thank you for being a friend of BIGGBY COFFEE.

"That store represents the birthplace of BIGGBY COFFEE, so we're excited to get everyone back together to celebrate with our friends and supporters who've been with us since day one," said Fish, CEO and founding partner of BIGGBY COFFEE.  

When BIGGBY COFFEE opened its doors in 1995, partners Fish and Roszel did so with the desire to demystify the "gourmet coffee" approach that relied on unpronounceable drink names and an air of exclusivity.  Instead, the Company relied on an inclusive approach complete with fun drinks with names like Caramel Marvel and Teddy Bear, and inviting, friendly staff.

The uniquely fun approach and locally-owned and operated stores has allowed BIGGBY COFFEE to open 107 stores in five states.  

"We couldn't have done it without our amazing franchisee family," noted Fish.

"When we opened our first store we adopted simple set of values that included making friends, loving our customers, having fun, being happy and making great coffee," said Fish.  "That approach allowed us to differentiate ourselves from competing coffee shops in the area, and it's what continues to fuel our growth today despite the challenges most retailers face in today's economy."  

BIGGBY COFFEE's sales have grown 65% in the past three years—from $23 million in 2006 to more than $38 million in 2009. The Company continues to grow and will add three additional Michigan locations next month including new coffee shops in Birmingham, Ann Arbor and Lansing.

About BIGGBY COFFEE®

East Lansing, Mich.-based BIGGBY COFFEE opened a single store in March of 1995 based on the founding principal that coffee-lovers and coffee-curious alike would benefit from a less pretentious approach to the standard gourmet cafe paradigm.  BIGGBY COFFEE introduced connoisseur-worthy drinks only with pronounceable names like Teddy Bear and Caramel Marvel, and barista staff surprised guests with simple gestures like free kazoos and bouncy balls for no other reason than to brighten their day.  The "Big Orange 'B'" caught on, and today BIGGBY COFFEE has 107 cafes across five states including Michigan, Ohio, Alabama, South Carolina and Wisconsin.  For more information, visit www.biggby.com.

SOURCE BIGGBY COFFEE