Zoup! Fresh Soup Company Stirs Up North Canton, Jackson Township

Powered by strong marketplace demand for healthy dining options, variety and convenience, Zoup! Fresh Soup Company franchisees Paul and Maureen Harris will open the first location in the Canton area Jan. 26 at 4898 Portage St. NW, in North Canton in the Gander Mountain Plaza.

As part of its grand opening celebration, Zoup! will host a pre-opening fundraising event from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. Jan. 25 to benefit and Jackson High School. Supporters of either school can drop their receipt in a designated box and 100 percent of the receipts in each box will be donated to the corresponding school.

Zoup! offers the convenience of a quick, delicious and healthy meal to enjoy dining in or carrying out. Already the hottest soup spot in the metro Detroit area and a regional favorite throughout the Midwest and Northeast United States with nearly 50 restaurants in nine states, Zoup! is developing in Ohio as part of an aggressive local and international growth plan to expand its unique concept and menu.

“We are excited to bring the Zoup! brand and culture to the Canton area,” said franchisee Maureen Harris. “The wide variety of healthy choices including soups, salads and sandwiches provide a great dining alternative for our community.”

Zoup! features 100 varieties of award-winning soups with 12 rotating daily varieties, including low-fat, vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free and low-points  options. Menu items include low-fat soups such as Veggie Waves of Grain, Old Fashion Chicken Noodle and Frontier 7 Bean, dairy-free soups like the Mulligatawny and Sesame Noodle Bowl, vegetarian soups, including Tomato Bisque and Spicy Italian Vegetable and low-points options such as Spicy Black Bean Chili and Wild Mushroom Barley. Customer favorites also include Chicken Pot Pie, Lobster Bisque and Vegetarian Split Pea.

“We created Zoup! after discovering that really good soup is hard to find,” said Eric Ersher, Zoup!’s founder and managing partner. “Also, in talking to people, it became clear that there’s something special about soup and the way it elicits thoughts of family, well-being and comfort for many people.  We strive to offer authentic, hand-crafted soups that are as good – and as ‘feel-good’ – as the homemade soups our mothers and grandmothers used to cook up.”

To help customers select from the soups offered each day, Zoup! encourages sampling of the soups. The menu also includes fresh, made-to-order salads, toasted sandwiches and an array of baked goods and beverages.

For time-starved customers looking for a quick, nutritious meal, Zoup! offers streamlined online ordering. The online system includes a location finder, a complete menu with the day’s soups, and online catering ordering and rewards program tracking. The catering rewards program offers customers the opportunity to earn a point for every dollar they spend on catering. Once customers reach 500 points, they will receive a $20 gift certificate.

The new restaurant will employ approximately 17 full- and part-time team members and will be open 11:00 am to 8:00 pm Monday through Friday and 11:00 am to 5:00 pm Sunday. For more information, please call 330-433-4090 or visit www.zoup.com.

About Zoup!

Founded in 1998, Zoup! is the leading fast-casual soup concept restaurant that is defining the category with its premium and proprietary soups and other recipes. A dining experience that features 12 always-rotating soup varieties each day in an environment that focuses on comfort, satisfaction and convenience, Zoup! has grown its network of franchises to nearly 50 restaurants throughout the District of Columbia, Colorado, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Illinois and Canada. For more information, visit www.zoup.com or www.zoupfranchise.com.