010627 Boston Market To Expand New Format to DallasJune 15, 2001Chicago - Boston Market, the formerly struggling, home-style restaurant chain bailed out when McDonald's Corp. bought it just over a year ago, said it is gearing up to roll out its new format and expanded menu in the Dallas market. The company, which said it is profitable and has comparable store sales trending up in the mid-single digits, got the go-ahead for a three-year, nationwide rollout of a new, more homespun format earlier this year, after a successful test of four stores in Tucson, Arizona, said company spokeswoman Alyson Kim. It began the launch earlier this year with the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, markets, she said on Tuesday. About 35 restaurants in Dallas and its suburbs are readying for improvements, which will then be followed by a large East Coast market, which she declined to name. To give its Boston Market restaurants a cozier feel that matches its home- style chicken entrees, the Denver-based company included softened lighting and padded booths that give customers chance to relax. It is also adding family- friendly features such as high chairs and baby cradles. The menu expansion calls for adding grilled chicken entrees, sandwiches and salads, such as teriyaki and BBQ, to the company's staples of rotisserie chicken and hams, Kim said. The company would not disclose how much McDonald's is spending for the upgrades, which will be expanded to Boston Market's 700 U.S. stores over the next three years. “We're bringing a consistent customer experience to our market,” she said. “It's fair to say it's a reasonable investment based on the return we hope to get.”
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