Quick-service restaurants (QSR) make up one of the most active and potentially lucrative business sectors in Costa Rica. As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star, Tico consumers have an ongoing love affair with fast food, particularly when some level of novelty is involved. Enter Cosi, a United States-based restaurant chain specializing in the fast-casual dining segment. This company has gotten quite cozy (sorry) in Costa Rica, and is now opening its fourth location at the Paseo de las Flores shopping plaza in the burgeoning city of Heredia.

With this fourth franchise location in Costa Rica, it is clear that Cosi intends to take some of the market share held by rival national chain Spoon. Here’s the official press release from the company, which has gotten positive reviews by the finicky food critics of the New York Times.

BOSTON, MA, November 25, 2014 — Cosi, Inc. COSI, -1.23% the fast casual restaurant company, today announced that its franchisee, Fast Casual S.A., has opened its fourth Cosi restaurant location in Costa Rica at Paseo de Las Flores in Heredia. “I am pleased to announce the opening of another new Cosi restaurant by our franchise partner, Fast Casual S.A.,” said R. J. Dourney, Cosi President and Chief Executive Officer. “We are very pleased with the support for the brand and growth of Cosi in Costa Rica. The Fast Casual team has done an outstanding job of continuing its successful expansion in this Latin American market,” stated Dourney.

The owners of Fast Casual have extensive knowledge of both doing business in Latin America and the food service industry, and the Cosi(R) brand has been well-received by the people of Costa Rica. “Cosi in Costa Rica continues to outpace our expectations, and we remain excited by the growing demand for the brand,” said Luis Diego Escalante, President of Fast Casual.

“Our guests were lined up waiting for the doors to open so they could experience our fresh-baked signature flatbread and Squagels(R) fresh from the hearth oven every 30 minutes and other fresh and unique menu offerings,” said Luis Diego Escalante. This location is the fourth of eight locations Fast Casual expects to open in Costa Rica.

About Cosi, Inc.

Cosi(R) (http://www.getcosi.com) is a national fast casual restaurant chain that has developed featured foods built around a secret, generations-old recipe for crackly crust flatbread. This artisan bread is freshly baked in front of customers throughout the day in open-flame stone-hearth ovens prominently located in each of the restaurants. Cosi’s warm and urbane atmosphere is geared towards its sophisticated, upscale, urban and suburban guests. There are currently 63 Company-owned and 47 franchise restaurants operating in sixteen states, the District of Columbia, the United Arab Emirates, and Costa Rica. The Cosi(R) vision is to become America’s favorite fast casual restaurant by providing customers authentic, innovative, savory food while remaining an affordable luxury.

The Cosi(R) menu features Cosi(R) sandwiches, freshly-tossed salads, bowls, breakfast wraps, melts, soups, Squagels(R), flatbread pizzas, S’mores, snacks and other desserts, and a wide range of coffee and coffee-based drinks and other specialty beverages. Cosi(R) restaurants are designed to be welcoming and comfortable with an eclectic environment. Cosi’s sights, sounds, and spaces create a tasteful, relaxed ambience that provides a fresh and new dining experience.