Zoup! to open second Delaware location on Thursday
New Castle County is about to get its second helping of Zoup!
The rapidly growing restaurant chain dedicated to soup and sandwiches will open a new location in the Christiana Fashion Center on Thursday – just in time to feed hungry holiday shoppers.
The new eatery, located in a 2,000-square-foot storefront halfway between Ulta Beauty and Zoes Kitchen, is the chain's second franchise in Delaware.
It's also the second owned by Eric and Dia Ames, high school sweethearts from Sussex County who both left high-paying jobs to chase their entrepreneurial dreams. The couple, who now live near Newark, opened the state's first Zoup! in Milltown's Midway Plaza shopping center off Kirkwood Highway in late 2013.
"We didn't plan to open a second location when we started," Eric said. "But the Christiana Fashion Center is a huge opportunity for us to continue the success we've found with our first Zoup!"
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Founded in 1998, Zoup! now has 99 restaurants in North America, almost all of which are franchises. The Michigan-based fast-casual chain reached $48 million in revenue last year and is expected to reach $57 million this year.
Each of the chain's restaurants offers a dozen varieties of soup each day, with a rotating array of flavors that include low-fat, low calorie, dairy-free and gluten-free options. Some of the most popular recipes include Chicken Potpie, Lobster Bisque and Vegetarian Split Pea. The menu also features an assortment of salad and sandwich options.
Customers are encouraged to sample soups before ordering. Those in a hurry also can order online and sign up for a daily email menu.
While the new Zoup! officially opens Thursday, soup lovers will be able to get an early taste tonight.
The new eatery will host a fundraiser for Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. Customers who make a $5 donation during the event from 5 to 8 p.m. will get a bowl of soup, a hunk of fresh-baked bread and a small fountain drink. All proceeds will benefit the hospital.
The dinner will be the second fundraiser hosted by the restaurant this week. Zoup! held a similar event Tuesday that benefitted the parent-teacher association at Gallaher Elementary School in nearby Ogletown.
"The fundraisers are great for the community and allow us to get our staff prepared before the grand opening," the 43-year-old co-owner said. The new Zoup! will employ 17 workers.
The restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.
Zoup! is the second restaurant to open at the Christiana Fashion Center in the last week. Ted's Montana Grill opened its first Delaware location Monday in the second-phase section of the shopping complex at Stanton Christiana Road and Del. 1, just south of the Christiana Mall.
Other recent additions have included a Marshalls/HomeGoods combo store, eyewear retailer Visionworks, an authorized AT&T retailer and Lane Bryant.
A new Talbots store is slated to open Nov. 22, followed by a Raymour & Flanigan and the first Delaware location for the burger chain Shake Shack.
Contact business reporter Scott Goss at (302) 324-2281, sgoss@delawareonline.com or on Twitter @ScottGossDel.