Giggles N’ Hugs (OTCQB: GIGL) combines a fresh and healthy menu, replete with great-tasting and refined dishes that appeal to discerning adults, as well as kid-friendly selections that boast numerous organic features (http://dtn.fm/v45Ge) (like being gluten-free and made from locally-grown ingredients) that you simply won’t find in other so-called kid-friendly restaurants – with a highly themed and stylistic Gymboree-like play area that dominates the floor space. It’s a model that has seen the company rocket to stardom among the stars, with numerous A-list celebs bringing their children to one of the company’s three locations in upscale malls throughout LA, either for lunch, or for a birthday bash. And the company has just been doubling-down on its core competencies since making a name for itself in LA, generating big initiatives to grow through the expansion of company-owned and/or franchised locations in other malls throughout the U.S., in precisely the same fashion as they expanded from the company’s initial Westfield Century City location, to the Westfield Topanga Mall and Glendale Galleria.
Voted the number one family restaurant by Citysearch and Yelp, as well as the number one birthday party place by beloved children’s network Nickelodeon!, Giggles N’ Hugs does what it says on the tin, fostering a dining and play environment that (for perhaps the first time in the history of the industry), really goes that extra mile to cater to children. And GIGL has ingeniously been executing this next-gen kid-friendly model off the back of catering to the increasingly selective tastes and discerning attitudes of parents who want to make sure their kids eat healthy. Parents who also understand that in order to get the kids to really eat healthy, those healthy choices must generally be embedded in otherwise attractive/delicious menu items that finicky children can’t say no to.
The shared vision of GIGL founder and CEO Joey Parsi and his wife, to really make a place where kids can be at home and thus give the parents a chance to also relax, has been brilliantly realized and subsequently stamped with the mark of excellence by household names such as actress Drew Barrymore, English singer and songwriter Adele, and homegrown musical celebs like Beyonce and Jay-Z. These restaurants are a marvel to behold and equally accommodate everyday mom and dads who want to have a drink and watch the game on a jumbo flat screen while their rambunctious kids, who want to laugh and play, climb around, and actually be children, can do so without earning reprimands to sit still. The amount of stress relief for parents contained in the basic equation is incalculable and GIGL has really created something of an institution for busy parents, and choosy parents who want to have a birthday blowout for their special little ones, while also having access to a truly healthy menu that is also scrumptious to kids.
Needless to say, there is an entire nationwide footprint of over 1,000 malls (and a broader 47,000 shopping centers) that could stand to benefit from the presence of a Giggles N’ Hugs, because it isn’t just a dining choice or superb birthday party location, it’s like a nursing home for under 10’s, where moms can drop the kids off and let them play safely in the expansive 2,000-square-foot-plus play area while they get the shopping done or just unwind in the relaxed mall setting.
Mall owners and site leaseholders love the Giggles N’ Hugs model, because it frees up a key demographic to more actively patronize the locale’s other establishments. This is an advantage which opens up sought-after square footage across the country in upscale malls quite readily, giving GIGL exclusive access to sweetheart development deals and lease conditions at some of the choicest locations, where the company’s model has the best chance to thrive sales-wise. The company is pushing hard coming off a banner 2015, which saw extensive operational streamlining that has led to significantly improved margins and increased YOY sales performance. Net cash used in operating activities was slashed last year, almost in half from 2014 levels, on the back of strong sales, and the company is currently exploring ways to further leverage the bedrock value of its existing services, while also seeking to add on new, parallel services.
GIGL is confident that the company not only has some of the best overall dining experiences available anywhere today for parents and their young children, but a similarly trend-setting and growing portfolio of food products and designs underlying those experiences as well – products and designs which can be used to secure a leadership brand position in the sector. Toward this end, GIGL is continuing to innovate and is currently mapping out vectors such as curb-side take-out, increased availability of beer/wine selections, branded baby food, branded merchandising, and gift certificates, all intended to augment already strong day-to-day commercial operations (increasingly fueled by themed parties that carry exceptional profitability margins). The company has even been looking at partnering with a baby products supplier, whereby GIGL could generate commissions on sales of the various furniture, fixtures, toys and other equipment available in the play area, about the acquisition of which parents are constantly inquiring.
Learn more by visiting www.gigglesnhugs.com
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