Boston Market Corp. said Tuesday it has completed upgrades at 400 of its 490 restaurants.
The upgrades include increased staff, training programs, carving stations and new uniforms. Golden–based Boston Market said it also has changed its menu, offering new side dishes, sandwiches and other items, and has reduced plate and cutlery use by 15 percent.
“We made a tremendous investment in physical upgrades, small wares and hospitality training, and we’re very pleased by the positive reaction we’ve received from our guests,” new CEO George Michel said in a statement.
“… This was by far the biggest undertaking we’ve attempted as a company in our 25–year history, and we couldn’t be happier about the results,” he said.
The company said it is seeing a “double digit” increase in guest counts and sales across the country, without releasing figures.
In October, Michel was named CEO in place of F. Lane Cardwell, who was at the helm less than 17 months.
Michel is the third CEO at Boston Market since investment firm Sun Capital Partners Inc. of Boca Raton, Fla., bought it from McDonald’s Corp. in 2007.
McDonald’s bought Boston Market – formerly known as Boston Chicken – in 2000, paying $173.5 million. The company was founded in Massachusetts in 1985 and moved to Golden in 1994.
The company’s 490 U.S. locations are down from 600 when Sun Capital Partners bought it. It sells home–style meals, including rotisserie chicken, and offers catering services.
