For: Zebu Forno Franchise LLC, Red Bank, N.J.
From: Parness & Associates, Aberdeen, NJ
For Immediate Release
ZEBU FORNO'S NEW PROTOTYPE IN HOLMDEL ATTRACTING PEOPLE OF ALL AGES
--European-style bakery/café offers fare from morning to late night
HOLMDEL TOWNSHIP, N.J. (6/20/07)—Since opening at The Commons at Holmdel on Route 35 South earlier this spring, Zebu Forno has discovered that the eclectic menu and atmosphere that has enjoyed widespread consumer acceptance in downtown Red Bank since 2001 can work equally well in a shopping center setting.
"We are just thrilled with how people in Holmdel and surrounding communities have responded to our offering," said Michael Gallicchio, president of RedHawk Food Services, LLC, the Middletown-based company that owns and operates the Holmdel restaurant—Zebu Forno's first franchised location. "The range of clientele underscores Zebu Forno's ability to morph to all demographics at all hours of the day. Our customer base touches all groups, be they young families having a leisurely dinner, seniors in for breakfast, business people or shoppers having lunch, Gen-Xers using our free Wi-Fi connections for their laptops while enjoying an afternoon cup of coffee, or couples of all ages coming in for dessert after a movie. It's a relaxed atmosphere that invites people to stay, without any pressure to leave."
Like the European-style bakery and café's flagship location on Red Bank's Broad Street, the new 3,000-square-foot prototype in Holmdel offers a wide variety of meals, snacks and desserts from early morning until late evening. Located near the Commons' Pier 1 Imports store, Zebu Forno opens each day at 7:00 a.m. and closes at 10:00 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays, 11:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 9:00 p.m. on Sundays.
Zebu Forno's menu includes fresh-baked breads, muffins, bagels, and pastries; breakfast sandwiches; omelets; homemade soups; Panini sandwiches, wraps and other hot and cold sandwiches served on home-baked breads; handmade thin-crust pizzas; fresh salads; quiche; gelato; fresh fruit cups; espresso drinks; a variety of coffees and teas; and a soft drink selection that includes Boylan's soda on tap. Patrons place their orders at a central counter, where they can wait or have the items brought to them at the tables. All menu items and baked goods are available for takeout, augmented by a selection of pastas, sauces, olive oils, other grocery items, and Zebu mugs and accessories that are merchandised throughout the store. Catering services are also available.
The new prototype store design incorporates the comfortable, relaxed atmosphere of the downtown Red Bank location, but with certain refinements, including expanded seating for 82 patrons. Seating is provided at conventional tables, stool-height tables and at groupings of Indonesian roll back leather easy chairs. Walls are adorned with original murals by New Jersey artist Gregg Hinlicky, each celebrating great artists of the past. Numbered guides to the artists depicted on the murals are provided on colorful bookmarks available at the counter.
The eclectic atmosphere is rounded out by such features as rustic wood plank floors, a ceiling design that is two-thirds exposed, low voltage track lighting, an exposed brick wall, strategically placed flat screen TVs, satellite music, and free Wi-Fi. In keeping with the ‘food as theater' movement, the baking area is situated at the front of the store, allowing patrons—and passersby—to view the baking process first-hand.
Holmdel franchisee RedHawk Food Services is a business unit of RedHawk Investments, a firm launched by Gallicchio, his wife Holly, and brother-in-law Christian Cross three years ago. The parent company manages commercial buildings in Monmouth County. Having prior experience in the foodservice industry, all three RedHawk principals are involved in the management of the restaurant, directing a team of over 20 employees.
For Michael Gallicchio in particular, the opening in Holmdel marked a return to the industry where he began his career. After working in restaurants throughout college, after graduating he launched a catering company and full-service restaurant in Litchfield, Conn. Gallicchio operated the business for eight years, before shifting gears and spending the next 13 years in communications, electronic media and publishing, both as an agency owner and corporate executive.
Commenting on his decision to become Zebu Forno's first franchisee, Gallicchio said: "What attracted us to Zebu was that it appeared to be a step ahead of the QSR (quick service restaurant) sector by offering a structure that would allow franchisees to do a strong business in the morning, afternoon and night. Equally important, the diversity of the menu enables us to service those different crowds without radically changing the restaurant's operations over the course of the day. After training in the Red Bank corporate location for three months, I was impressed from day-one on how they ran the operation, from the painstaking attention to food quality to how they serviced their customers. In the end, it was evident that people genuinely enjoy spending time there and we are focused on creating that same welcoming environment here in Holmdel."
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Press Contacts: At Parness & Associates Public Relations: Bill Parness or Lisa Kreda, (732) 290-0121, parnespr@optonline.net; at Zebu Forno, Andrew Gennusa, president, (732) 245-2320.
NOTE TO EDITORS: High resolution store photos are available from Parness & Associates.
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