• July 24, 2012

Dannon yogurt and Smithfield Foods, known for Virginia ham and pork, have opened their own restaurants to enhance their  brands' missions, reports QSRMagazine.com.

Both brands supply the foodservice sector as well as sell their products at retail, and they're not looking to compete with resaurants and other out-of-home options.

Dannon has opened the Yogurt Culture Company on Manhattan's Park Avenue. 

“Our mission at Dannon, and part of the mission of the Yogurt Culture Company, is to help Americans discover and enjoy yogurt on a daily basis,” Dannon senior PR director Michael Neuwirth told QSR. The store, which serves fresh, handcrafted yogurt, is one way to generate consumer interest in yogurt, as well as to enable the brand to learn about consumers' preferences in a customizable (as opposed to packaged/retail) yogurt setting. 

Smithfield Foods opened Smithfield Specialty Foods Group in the company's hometown of Smithfield, Va. for the main purpose of supporting its community, according to Pete Booker, VP and general manager of the specialty group. The store also provides opportunities to get consumer reactions to product innovations, and to introduce the brand to tourists, he noted. 

Greek yogurt brand Chobani also recently announced that it is opening Chobani SoHo in that district of Manhattan, a  Mediterranean made-to-order yogurt store being described as a "flagship" location.