In its first foray into the Baltimore area, Cosi, which bills itself as a premium convenience restaurant, has signed two leases in the metropolitan region.
The sites ? at Valley Village Shopping Center in Owings Mills and 100 S. Charles St. in downtown Baltimore ? are the first two of 20 restaurants planned for the area. KLNB Retail, Cosi?s leasing agent, is currently in negotiations for 12 additional locations in the region. The company hopes to close those deals by year?s end.
According to Ryan Wilner, an associate at KLNB, the first two stores are expected to open next month. He said that after the company?s successful launch in Washington, expansion into Baltimore was a logical next step.
“I think demographically we found that the market was underserved,” Wilner said. “There was a need for a higher-end, convenient, quick-service restaurant in the region.”
Wilner said the company plans to have all 20 locations open within the next three years, and all restaurants in the Baltimore/Washington area will be company-owned, though there are plans for franchise stores in other areas of the country. He added that areas in Baltimore the company is looking at for other stores include Towson, Annapolis, Columbia, Timonium, White Marsh and Bel Air.
He says the restaurant?s menu helps ensure its success.
“They offer an absolutely premium quality in a very comfortable layout and atmosphere,” Wilner said. “They?re tapping into an underserved market where people value quality and convenience.”
The new restaurants will feature a prototype layout of about 3,000 square feet and an open-flame stone hearth to bake the company?s signature bread. Its menu features sandwiches, salads, Cosi melts, soups, bagels, pizza and desserts.
Aside from its stores in the Baltimore and Washington region, Cosi, based in Deerfield, Ill., operates 100 stores in 15 states.
