Yes, soup for you.
The soups of the Original Soup Man, the beloved and reviled Al Yeganeh of Seinfield fame, have been added to the newly renovated Colonie Center food court.
`It’s a new experience for most of the customers in this area. We opened two weeks ago, and it’s doing pretty well,` said Dave Amato, Soup Man franchise owner, who also owns Cosimo’s Pizza next door.
As holiday shoppers stop by, if they aren’t getting a cup or bowl of the soup, they are at least taking in the menu.
Lobster bisque, mulligatawny the menu changes day to day, featuring nine of the Original Soup Man’s 50 recipes. The menu also includes fresh salads, smoothies, sandwiches and grilled paninis. Prices range from $4.95 to $8.95 a cup to $10.95 a bowl for the lobster bisque. Each soup comes with fresh bread, fruit and chocolate.
Colonie Center has been bringing in the retail and eatery big guns as its $100 million renovation nears completion. The closer it gets, more interest is generated in the mall retail industry. So far Colonie Center has brought in New York’s only L.L. Bean outlet, and other West Coast eateries.
`The mall looked like a premium mall, and it looked like a good location,` said Bob Bertrand, president of Soup Kitchen International Inc., the owner of The Original Soup Man.
The franchise is adding a second location at the Woodbury Premium Outlets an hour north of New York City.
Both locations passed a rigorous demographic and trend test, said Bertrand. The company approved the space and the co-brand with Amato’s existing Cosimo’s Pizza franchise.
Colonie Center is the 35th location for The Original Soup Man in the country and parts of Canada. The company has also launched its second co-branded campaign with Cold Stone Creamery, which opened in Manhattan last month.“