Winter Park franchiser has lots on its plate for this year
Urban Flats Flatbread has plans for 6 new locations, and will expand to Michigan.
Urban Flats Flatbread Co., the trendy Winter Park-based restaurant concern that specializes in oven-baked flatbread dishes, has stepped up its expansion plans with six new company-owned or franchise locations planned this year.
Suzanne Bonham, founder of the company, said she has been busy inking several franchisee agreements for the restaurant concept.
To date, Bonham has signed franchisee agreements under the company’s parent Hip Urban Brands for areas including Winter Garden, the Sarasota-Tampa region, Ponte Vedra Beach and Atlanta.
The restaurant also plans to franchise its concept in Michigan inside of a planned chain of boutique hotels that will be called Brio, Bonham said.
“We’ve got a lot on the board here,” she said. “It’s a very exciting time for us.”
Urban Flats, which has three company-owned restaurants in the Orlando area, recently opened its first franchise location in Ponte Vedra Beach. Bonham said early results from that restaurant were promising, with sales of about $200,000 for the first month.
Bonham said the company gets a 5 percent royalty fee on franchise sales. The company does not disclose earnings or sales for its company-owned restaurants, she said.
In Central Florida, company-owned restaurants in downtown Orlando and in The Villages are expected to open in the next two months. Another is expected to open on Sand Lake Road by next year.
The downtown restaurant at Church Street and Orange Avenue will serve as the company’s flagship location, with plans calling for new decor and a glass wall display of about 2,000 wines, Bonham said.
“You’ll be able to see it from Orange Avenue,” Bonham said of the restaurant’s planned wine collection.
As far as its franchises go, Bonham said the company charges a $50,000 fee to start up along with an estimated build-out cost of $800,000 for each restaurant.
Steak and video
Betting that businesses will pony up to hold company meetings or promotional events in an upscale dining setting, Morton’s steakhouse plans to promote a new video-conference service at its Orlando restaurant this week.
Morton’s said it has partnered with a private satellite broadcast provider called Velocity Broadcasting to offer high-definition video theaters throughout the chain’s dining halls.
The high-end steakhouse is promoting the video service as an opportunity for companies to host marketing events or training sessions with employees that may be scattered throughout the country.
Morton’s said it expects to announce details of the program at a news conference on Wednesday that will be held at its restaurants in various cities including Orlando.
“It’s a great way to boost business, but it’s also a great way to partner for other businesses as an opportunity for communication,” Jack Hardin, general manager of Morton’s in Orlando, said, referring to the video-conference service.
Morton’s views the service — which includes a high-definition video-projection system with a 9-foot drop-down screen and theater-quality surround sound — as another way to fill its private dining halls with corporate clients.
The restaurant chain has also hosted music concerts with the service including an event last year with jazz musician Wynton Marsalis.
“It’s video conferencing at its finest . . . and it’s becoming increasingly popular,” he said.
Hardin said the restaurant in Orlando can accommodate up to 200 people in its private dining rooms and it offers its full menu for catered events.
By Mark Chediak for the Orlando Sentinel
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