CB Rest Holdings of Boca Raton, Fla. was named Franchise Partner of the Year, while Buon Hospitality of Pleasanton, Calif. was named Franchise Developer of the Year as Corner Bakery Cafe recognized its top performing franchise partners during the company's 2013 Franchise Leadership Conference. More than 100 franchisees, operators and vendors converged for the three-day event held at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas.

Conference highlights included a Vendor Expo, awards recognition dinner and featured speakers, including keynote speaker and restaurant industry veteran Bill Allen, as well as a lunch speaking event with Steve Romaniello, Managing Director of Roark Capital Group and Chairman of the International Franchise Association (IFA).

"It's thanks to remarkable franchise partners such as these that the growth and success of Corner Bakery Cafe is possible," Gary Price, President of Corner Bakery Cafe said. "The franchise operators honored this year consistently deliver the highest quality cafes, hospitality and service to our guests and the neighborhoods they serve, and we are proud to recognize so many of them for their exceptional accomplishments. Many of these decisions were very difficult, as numerous franchise partners were considered in each category."

The fast-casual chain's 2013 top award recipients were:

  • CB Rest Holdings, LLC of Boca Raton, Fla. was named Corner Bakery Cafe's Franchise Partner of the Year. CB Rest Holdings owns and operates four Corner Bakery Cafes in Miami, and recently signed a franchise agreement to open 14 new cafes in and around Tampa, Fla.
  • Buon Hospitality of Pleasanton, Calif. was named Franchise Developer of the Year. Buon Hospitality owns and operates three cafes in San Francisco.
  • Scott Ridgway of The Rose Group in Newtown, Pa. was named the Franchise Operating Partner of the Year. The Rose Group owns and operates six Corner Bakery Cafes in Philadelphia, Delaware and Southern New Jersey.

Corner Bakery Cafe also honored top performing franchise cafes for best in sales, catering and safety.

Those franchise cafe award winners included:

  • SouthGlenn Corner Bakery Cafe in Centennial, Colo. received the Same Store Sales Growth Award. This location is owned and operated by Cutter Restaurant Group of Denver, which owns and operates five Corner Bakery Cafes in Colorado.
  • Carlsbad Corner Bakery Cafe in Carlsbad, Calif. received the Same Store Sales Growth Award. This location is owned and operated by FEAST California Cafe, LLC of San Diego, which owns and operates two Corner Bakery Cafes in San Diego and Carlsbad, and recently signed a franchise agreement to open nine new Corner Bakery Cafes in San Diego.
  • 1000 Main Corner Bakery Cafe in Houston received the Same Store Sales Growth Award and the Catering Million Dollar Club Award. This location is owned and operated by Fairview Capital Management of Houston, which owns and operates four Corner Bakery Cafes in Houston.
  • Red Butte Corner Bakery Cafe in Salt Lake City received the Sales Achievement Award. This location is owned and operated by Cornerstone Foods, LLC of Salt Lake City, which owns and operates three Corner Bakery Cafes in Utah.
  • 17th & JFK Corner Bakery Cafe in Philadelphia received the Catering Million Dollar Club Award. This location is owned and operated by The Rose Group.
  • Horsham Corner Bakery Cafe in Horsham, Pa. received the EcoSure Award for the highest scoring cafe in food safety for the year. This location is owned and operated by The Rose Group.

"It's an absolute honor to recognize the franchise partners that have excelled over the past year, but it is really a testament to the core strength of Corner Bakery Cafe's culture and franchise network," Mike Hislop, CEO of Corner Bakery Cafe said. "As a leading brand in the fastest growing segment of the restaurant industry, our rapid and successful growth can be attributed to our commitment to partnering with respected franchise operators like the partners we recently recognized."