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Mrs. Fields to test specialty coffees in Chicago

Mrs. Fields to test specialty coffees in Chicago

Aug 03, 2011 (Chicago Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- For the generation that came of age in suburbia sometime between "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Home Alone," no trip to the mall seemed complete without a visit to Mrs. Fields -- or at least a pause in front of the store to savor the wafting scent of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.

A lot has happened since the 1980s, including the chain's bankruptcy in 2008, the rise and fall of Krispy Kreme, Starbucks' domination, lattes at McDonald's and dozens of other food and beverage trends.

Mrs. Fields now has 280 stores in the U.S. but once had hundreds more.

The chain is using Chicago as a test market as it attempts to re-energize with a broader menu, focusing on a push into specialty coffees and eventually breakfast and lunch.

The Salt Lake City-based chain has opened a prototype for future stores at 242 S. State St. The modern feel is more Seattle's Best Coffee than cookie stand, with the store offering lattes, ice-blended beverages and coffee flavors such as snickerdoodle and white chocolate macadamia nut. The company is using the model to entice franchisees to convert existing stores and build new locations outside of malls.

Although there a "Debbi's signature" brew and a quote from Debbi Fields on the wall ("The only thing I had was this recipe, and with that recipe was a dream"), the founder sold Mrs. Fields in 1993.

Timothy Casey, CEO of privately held Mrs. Fields Famous Brands, which includes the cookie company and TCBY Enterprises, which is also in the throes of a reinvention, acknowledged that both brands are not what they once were. But he said they still have broad consumer awareness and positive associations.

"Both of those brands were very popular and cutting edge in their heyday and have an opportunity to make a strong comeback," he said.

Casey, who has been at the company for a year, after a five-year stint at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and a 10-year stay at Starbucks Coffee Co., said the impetus to add specialty coffee came from consumer research. When asked what the chain could add to become more relevant, "the first thing we heard from all of the research was specialty coffee," he said.

Mrs. Fields Couples Cookies, Caffeine in New Post-Bankruptcy ...

By Jacqueline Palank

Mrs. Fields is baking up a post-bankruptcy comeback, reinventing its shopping-mall counters to sell iced lattes alongside its white chocolate macadamia nut cookies and chocolate chip cookie cakes.

Mrs. Fields emerged from its two-month-long Chapter 11 restructuring in October 2008 and aimed to expand its reach despite the economic downturn that toasted even the best-baked plans. Nearly three years later, it’s seeking another expansion, this time of its offerings.

The Chicago Tribune reported that the Salt Lake City chain is testing out its new concept in the Windy City, opening a model for new stores that the reporter describes as “more Seattle’s Best Coffee than cookie stand.” The modern store is meant to inspire franchisees to serve up more than just guilty treats for shoppers with a sweet tooth, adding specialty coffees and lunch items like sandwiches, soups and salads.

Mrs. Fields Chief Executive Timothy Casey told the Tribune that the cookie brand and its sister brand, TCBY frozen yogurt, may not be “what they once were.” But he said that shouldn’t remain true for long.

“Both of those brands were very popular and cutting edge in their heyday and have an opportunity to make a strong comeback,” Casey said.

To do so, the company will face heavy competition. As the Tribune points out, Starbucks has been boosting its food offerings to include not only pastries but hot breakfast sandwiches, oatmeal and now boxed lunches. And McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts are seeking to capture mocha-swilling penny-pinchers who are turned off by Starbucks’ higher prices.

But Mrs. Fields’ senior marketing director, Greg Allison, told the Tribune that Mrs. Fields isn’t looking to beat elbow out its giant rivals. While there may be a Starbucks on nearly every corner, they’re not so ubiquitous on, say, the second floor of a shopping mall when a jolt of caffeine is desperately needed to refresh weary shoppers jostling for deals.

“We’re not asking for a big piece of the pie, we’re asking for a sliver of the pie,” he said. “That’s not going to be our core business.”

From Dow Jones Daily Bankruptcy Review, exclusive coverage of corporate bankruptcies, companies headed for trouble and the latest trends in bankruptcy law, distressed investing and corporate restructuring. Lead writer Marie Beaudette and Daily Bankruptcy Review reporters in Washington, New York and Wilmington, Del., provide insight into the big cases, who’s next to fall and what’s making news across the bankruptcy market.

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