Così (restaurant)
Cosi logo in 2015
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| NASDAQ: COSI | |
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Formerly called
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Xando, Xando Cosi |
| Industry | fast-casual restaurants |
| Founded | New York City, United States (1996) |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
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Number of locations
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71 (October, 2016) |
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Key people
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RJ Dourney (CEO) |
| Website | www.getcosi.com |
Così, based in Boston, Massachusetts, is a fast-casual restaurant chain that is known for its homemade flatbread. The name comes from the opera Così fan tutte, which was a favorite of the original owner.
The original Così restaurant was based on a small cafe in Paris, France. Cosi was founded in the United States in 1996, and there are currently over 100 locations in the continental United States, Costa Rica, and the United Arab Emirates. In October 1999, Così merged with the cafe/bar chain XandO (formerly ZuZu). Così's peak traffic was during the lunch hour, while XandO did heavy business in the evenings, allowing the two companies to complement each other's strengths. Cosi restaurants are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Cosi implemented a loyalty program in 2007.
In June 2010 Così sold its District of Columbia stores to Capitol C Restaurants who will run them under a franchise agreement. Capitol C is the owner of Qdoba Mexican Grill.
RJ Dourney was voted CEO in March 2014 by Cosi's board of directors.
In September 2016, a month after terminating Dourney, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization and announced that a group headed by one of its lenders would serve as a stalking horse bidder. It also closed 29 of its 74 company-owned units. On October 11, 2016, Cosi announced that it is seeking buyers for "substantially all of its assets."
As of October 2016, 71 Cosi locations remained in operation.
Fare includes sandwiches, soups, salads, flatbread pizzas, bowls, coffee, and handcrafted beverages. Cosi's menu features a variety of menu items that include unique variations, such as providing options to receive combination plates with half-orders of various items. The company has a signature item called Squagels, which is a square-shaped bagel. Cosi's bread is baked in an open flame oven in full view of customers. Their flatbread is based on a 2,000-year-old recipe. Customers receive a sample of bread with their order.
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Wikipedia