Notre Dame Au Bon Pain Named Franchisee of the Year

Notre Dame Food Services Director Chris Abayasinghe accepts the Franchisee of the Year Award at the annual Au Bon Pain Company Conference awards dinner.

Au Bon Pain recently recognized Notre Dame Food Services’ Hesburgh Library location as Franchisee of the Year. Chris Abayasinghe, Director of Notre Dame Food Services, received the award on behalf of NDFS at the International Company and Franchise Conference on September 29, 2014 in Boston. It’s a great honor for NDFS and the collective work of many members of their staff and management team.

The Au Bon Pain award committee selected NDFS using the following criteria:

• Outstanding sales growth

• Quality of operations

• Brand compliance

• Top 10% in quarterly standards audits

• Being an exceptional brand partner by continually including ABP in national event opportunities (AIM and Charity Golf)

• Promoting ABP with NACUFS programs

Au Bon Pain in the Hesburgh Library

The Hesburgh Library Au Bon Pain has been a popular destination since its inception in November of 2012. Last year alone, their transactions totaled 369,484. They sell approximately 86,000 cups of coffee, 29,000 cookies and 80,000 sandwiches and wraps each year, drawing customers from across campus.

Their success has spurred the opening of several additional campus locations. In a partnership with Notre Dame Student Government, NDFS opened the Au Bon Pain coffee cart in Debartolo Hall in October of 2013. Just last month, an Au Bon Pain Express, serving prepackaged sandwiches, salads and bakery items, opened in the Hesburgh Center for International Studies. In the coming months, customers can look for Au Bon Pain Catering, which will also be housed at the Hesburgh Center location.

Au Bon Pain numbers over 300 café bakeries worldwide, including stores in India and Thailand.  

 

Congratulations to the Au Bon Pain Team!