What Zoup! does

Zoup! is a privately held fast-casual restaurant chain founded in 1997 and operated as a subsidiary brand under WOWorks, LLC, headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida. The concept is centered on a rotating daily selection of soups, complemented by sandwiches, salads, mac & cheese, grilled cheese, flatbreads, loaded baked potatoes (spuds), kids meals, desserts, and beverages. A signature "Pick Two" combo system allows customers to mix and match items across categories. The company sells primarily through dine-in and takeout at independently-owned franchise locations across the United States and Canada, supplemented by online ordering via its website and first-party mobile apps (iOS and Android), third-party delivery (which does not earn loyalty points), and corporate/event catering sold through a dedicated portal.

The underlying technology stack is light: a website-based ordering platform, a mobile app for order-ahead and rewards, a tiered loyalty program (Zoup! Rewards with Entry, Gold, and Platinum levels), and a third-party nutritional information widget from Eagle Bigzpoon. The company monetizes through restaurant sales at franchise locations, franchise fees and royalties, catering orders, gift cards distributed via CardFoundry, and the Ladling Love community fundraising program that returns 20% of qualifying sales to non-profit organizations. Customer segments are individual health-conscious diners (primary), corporate catering buyers, and non-profit fundraising groups. The Better Chicken Commitment signals a positioning move around animal welfare and ingredient sourcing.

Name

Zoup!

Legal name

Zoup!

Website

https://zoup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Zoup! is a privately held fast-casual franchise restaurant chain, founded in 1997 and owned by WOWorks, LLC, offering rotating daily soups, sandwiches, salads, and comfort foods across US and Canadian franchise locations, with online ordering, a tiered loyalty program, catering, and community fundraising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fast-casual restaurant chain

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Healthy/Salad/Grain Bowl QSR (THAFAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sandwiches & Subs QSR (THAFAAAD)

Keywords

• Fast casual dining
• Soup restaurant chain
• Restaurant franchise
• Catering services
• Loyalty rewards program

Headquarters

HQ city

Farmington Hills

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Restaurant Sales: Revenue from dine-in, takeout, and delivery orders at franchise locations. Customers purchase soups, sandwiches, salads, mac & cheese, grilled cheese, flatbreads, spuds, kids meals, desserts, and beverages.
2. Catering Services: Corporate and event catering including gathering bundles, build-your-own bars (mac bar, chili bar), boxed lunches, salads, soups, and desserts. Targets business lunches and special events.
3. Fundraising Program: Ladling Love Fundraiser program where non-profit organizations receive 20% of sales when supporters dine at Zoup! during designated event hours.
4. Franchise Fees: Revenue from franchise development with franchise.zoup.com for prospective franchisees in US and Canada.
5. Gift Card Sales: Digital and physical gift cards sold through third-party provider CardFoundry.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Zoup! operates fast-casual restaurants serving fresh, made-from-scratch soups and a broad menu including sandwiches, salads, flatbreads, grilled cheese, mac & cheese, baked potatoes, kids meals, desserts, and beverages. The brand sells through franchise-owned dine-in and takeout locations, first-party online ordering, a mobile app, third-party delivery, corporate and event catering, a tiered loyalty rewards program, gift cards, and a community fundraising program.

Product overview

Zoup! Eatery is a quick-casual restaurant chain offering a diverse menu centered on soups, sandwiches, salads, and comfort food. The core product portfolio includes Soups (rotating daily selections like Chicken Noodle, Broccoli Cheddar, Lobster Bisque), Salads (Steakhouse, Buffalo Chicken, Southwest Pork Carnitas), Sandwiches (Footlong Italian, Black & Bleu Steak, Cuban), Flatbreads, Grilled Cheese, Macs (mac & cheese varieties), Spuds (loaded baked potatoes), Kids Meals, Desserts, and Beverages. The Pick Two combo system allows mix-and-match meal customization. Beyond dine-in and counter service, Zoup! operates catering services (Gathering Bundles, Build-Your-Own Bars, Boxed Lunches), a loyalty rewards program (Zoup! Rewards with tiered membership), and community fundraising through the Ladling Love program. Digital ordering is available via website and mobile apps for iOS and Android.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Soups

Quantifiable outcome

• Catering sales minimum $250 to qualify for donation
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• WOWorks, LLCcoreOthersWOWorks, LLC is the parent company of Zoup!. The parent company provides corporate governance, privacy policy oversight, and franchise development support. Zoup! operates as a subsidiary brand within the WOWorks portfolio.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sweetgreen: National healthy fast-casual brand with salad-forward menu and digital-first ordering. Comparable on healthy positioning, loyalty app adoption, and order-ahead technology, though narrower menu mix than Zoup!
• Panera Bread: Panera is the most directly analogous fast-casual concept — soups, sandwiches, salads, custom combos — and operates at national scale. Comparison benchmarks unit economics, loyalty infrastructure, and off-premise capabilities.

Direct peers

• Noodles & Company: Fast-casual chain with broad menu (pasta, salads, soups, mac & cheese) and customizable combos. Competes for the same lunch occasion with similarly broad menu and franchise model.
• Corner Bakery Cafe: Café-style fast-casual with soups, sandwiches, salads, and catering for businesses. Closely comparable on menu architecture, catering vertical, and corporate-event customer base.
• Soup Plantation / Sweet Tomatoes: Buffet-style restaurant chain built around soup, salad, and baked goods. Comparable concept category though different service model (buffet vs. made-to-order).
• Jason's Deli: Fast-casual deli with soups, salads, sandwiches, and a strong catering business. Comparable on menu overlap, catering vertical, and B2B event catering services.
• Potbelly Sandwich Shop: Franchised fast-casual chain built around sandwiches and soups with a similar dine-in/takeout/delivery model. Closest comparable on franchise economics, menu overlap, and customer-occasion targeting.
• Soup Nutsy: Soup Nutsy is a direct soup-focused QSR peer with a rotating soup program; the closest concept-level analogue for measuring soup-led differentiation and category positioning against Zoup.

Emerging players

• Jamba: Jamba competes in healthy QSR with smoothies, juices, and bowls. Comparable on health-conscious positioning and build-your-own customization, though category differs (beverage-led).
• Le Pain Quotidien: Fast-casual café specializing in soups, salads, sandwiches, and baked goods with healthy positioning. Comparable on menu and health-conscious customer demographic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/eatzeats
• Instagraminstagram.com/eat_zeats
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forward-momentum-inc-dba-zoup-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zoup!