Country Style
Country Style, formerly Country Style Donuts, is a chain of coffee shops operating primarily in the Canadian province of Ontario, which serves donuts, soup, sandwiches, salads, and coffee. It is known for the quality of its coffee and is reputed to be the only Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) that grinds its coffee beans fresh for each pot of coffee.
Organization
As of January 2006, there were 120 "traditional" locations in Ontario. There are also over 385 "non-traditional" locations embedded in other stores such as gas stations, convenience stores, arenas and movie theatres. Over 70% of customer purchases in 2001 were coffee. In addition, there are 29 retail bakeries operating under the Buns Master name. Buns Master Bakery Systems Inc. is a 100% owned subsidiary. In total, Country Style has almost 500 locations in Ontario, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick under the Country Style name.
History
Country Style has been in business for over 40 years. By 2001, Country Style had been forced to close a quarter of its stores due to decreasing market share in an increasingly competitive Canadian market. Since then, it has opened many new stores and currently ranks third behind Tim Hortons and Starbucks in the Canadian coffee market.
In mid-1990s, the Country Style logo changed to use a font similar to Palatino instead of its former handwriting font.
In 2006, Country Style changed their image to a more upscale style. The new image includes a new logo, a new website, and an enhanced branded deli menu that will be phased into all stores. The logo still uses the Palatino style font and will also be phased into all stores. New stores will feature more modern design features, somewhat similar to Starbucks.
Advertising
The "Every Coffee Wins" and "Turn up a Winner" promotions offer numerous prizes, including Country Style food prizes and trips, to be won each year. One plays by unrolling the rim of the coffee cup to reveal a prize voucher, as every cup is a winner.
In April 2003, Country Style partnered with the Make a Wish Foundation as their corporate charity of choice. Since then, Country Style and its franchisees have raised in excess of a quarter of a million dollars for the foundation.