Latest News

Fudge Shop Franchise Connects With Community

on December 1, 2016

fudge display inside river street sweets

Since we opened our doors more than 40 years ago, River Street Sweets • Savannah’s Candy Kitchen has been proud member of the community, and has shown its devotion to its neighbors by giving back.

As you search for U.S. franchise opportunities including fudge shop franchises, consider allying yourself with a company that cares as much about their fellow man as they do the bottom line. We love making life a little sweeter for the people around us, and we have a candy store for sale where you can do the same thing. Our fundraising, donation and sponsorship efforts not only aid people and animals in need, they also increase visibility of our business and awareness of our delicious products.

In 2016, we contributed to many causes in the communities where our stores operate.

In November, we baked and donated pecan pies to the third annual Pie in the SCI. The fundraising event benefits Senior Citizens Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people age successfully.

In October, to celebrate the launch of our first fudge shop franchise at Tanger Outlet Mall in Pooler, Georgia, we hosted a fundraiser for the Caretta Research Project. Proceeds from all Chocolate Loggerhead sales on Oct. 23 were donated to CRP, a hands-on research, conservation and education project that has been protecting loggerhead sea turtles on Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge since 1973.

Back in April, we were a sponsor of the third annual Wine, Women and Shoes event in Savannah, which raised funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Coastal Empire. Our World Famous Pralines and glazed pecans helped make it a sweet evening.

In February, we were a sponsor of Love Walk 2016, which benefitted Wesley Community Centers in Savannah, whose mission is to promote the economic, educational and spiritual growth of women, children and families.

We enthusiastically partner with local food drives, Meals on Wheels, Bethesda Home for Boys and many nonprofit organizations, in addition to encouraging regular fundraisers at our candy franchise shops.

Learn more about how you can ally yourself with a generous, caring brand that is involved in the community by opening your own fudge shop franchise with River Street Sweets • Savannah’s Candy Kitchen. Find out more about this fantastic franchise opportunity!

 
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Restaurateurs Make Perfect Candy Store Franchise Owners

on November 16, 2016

River Street Sweets candy store interior display

The River Street Sweets • Savannah’s Candy Kitchen franchise concept is so great, it truly sells itself. A strong reputation precedes our candy store franchise brand, thanks to our famous, mouth-watering Southern candies and treats! For someone who has prior experience in restaurant management or has worked within the industry in some capacity, the RSS • SCK experience can be even more fulfilling.

Some of the key components to running a streamlined, efficient candy shop operation include presentation, selection and location—all ideas that are very familiar to those coming from the restaurant world.

Candy  Presentation

One of the elements that set RSS • SCK apart from its competitors is the show-like presentation of products in each of our stores. Delicious candies and treats are made in front of customers while they wait – adding an entertainment factor to every customer’s visit. There’s nothing quite like watching a praline created on a marble slab right in front of you! Add to that top-quality packaging and display options, and our products seem to fly off the shelves. If you’re coming from the restaurant industry, you’re probably familiar with this concept of presentation – having seen it in plating, table presentation, and more. This gives you a leg-up in the running of a candy store franchise business!

Quality  Candy  Selection

Whether customers are coming to your candy store franchise location for caramel apples, pralines or pecan pie, the products on offer can make or break your candy business. This is not dissimilar to a restaurant’s menu, and those who are familiar with this concept will certainly understand the need for a superior product. Luckily, one look at RSS • SCK’s menu will assure you of that superiority!

Candy  Store   Location

Similar to a restaurant, a candy business will not thrive in just any location—a business owner must be thoughtful about where he or she decides to place their candy business. Anyone who has gone through this careful process before will have a solid advantage. Restaurateurs, in particular, will likely have encountered this particular aspect of business ownership before – making them even more prepared to own and operate a candy store franchise like River Street Sweets • Savannah’s Candy Kitchen.

When it comes to launching a Southern candy shop franchise business like ours, passion and business sense can go a long way! Restaurateurs are known for possessing these qualities and more – making them great potential franchise owners.

Want to know more about how River Street Sweets • Savannah’s Candy Kitchen can help you fulfill your professional goals? Request information from our candy store franchise support team today — give us a (844) 842-9037 or email info@RiverStreetCandyFranchise.com.

 
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MyCorporation.com

on November 13, 2016

November 15th was National Entrepreneurs’ Day and to celebrate, Jennifer Strickland, co-founder and co-CEO of River Street Sweets • Savannah’s Candy Kitchen shared her valuable advice to entrepreneurs across the country.

MyCorporation.com recognized Jennifer’s expertise and shared her tip in “Experts Weigh In: What’s Your Best Advice For Entrepreneurs?” Check out the coverage here!

Franchise Expo West

on November 2, 2016

With an interactive booth reminiscent of our candy counters at River Street Sweets•Savannah’s Candy Kitchen, the Franchise Expo West in Denver was a big hit. Not only did we have a great time connecting with potential franchisees and other thought leaders in the franchise industry, but we also had an opportunity to chat with Ed Sealover of the Denver Business Journal.

Ed was interested to know all about our franchise program, and our own Buck Sullivan, vice president of production, was happy to share with him what makes it such a sweet opportunity.

Visit the Denver Business Journal to see the full story here.

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Famous southern candies come to Key West

on September 16, 2016

Key West Florida southern most pointKey West Florida has more to offer than just key lime pie, and the southernmost point in the continental United States is getting an even wider array of delicious, gourmet southern candies and confections with the opening of Savannah, Georgia’s most famous candy store, River Street Sweets•Savannah’s Candy Kitchen.

Glen Willard, a franchise candy store owner of River Street Sweets•Savannah’s Candy Kitchen’s with a location in Georgia, helms this new location in the Sunshine State.

“Growing up in Savannah, I’ve enjoyed visits to River Street Sweets and Savannah’s Candy Kitchen for many years, so getting to be a part of this historic company is like a dream come true,” Willard said.

River Street Sweets•Savannah’s Candy Kitchen is a marriage of two well-known and highly respected gourmet candy brands based in the Southeastern U.S, River Street Sweets and Savannah’s Candy Kitchen. After operating independent brands for more than two decades, the Strickland family, the proprietors of both candy stores, reunited to offer the River Street Sweets•Savannah’s Candy Kitchen franchise opportunity.

“We couldn’t be happier to have Glen sign on for another River Street Sweets•Savannah’s Candy Kitchen location, and in less than a year since opening his first location,” Jennifer Strickland, co-owner and vice president of River Street Sweets•Savannah’s Candy Kitchen said. “He and his family have been instrumental in the growth of our franchise and he’s the perfect example of what we are searching for in our franchisees.”

River Street Sweets Key West Florida location will be opening June 2017, would you be interested in finding out how to own your own candy store business? Read about our Retail Candy Franchise & Business Growth or here are answers to Frequently Asked Questions about opening a candy franchise store.

 
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3 Reasons to Join the Candy Industry

on August 12, 2016

Chocolate-Covered-BrittleIf you’ve ever thought about starting your own candy store, there’s never been a better time than now! Here are three reasons why opening your own candy franchise and joining the candy industry will be one of the sweetest decisions you’ll ever make:

 

Candy is a growing industry

The first chocolate candy bar was made almost 200 years ago in 1847 and people have been going coocoo for cocoa ever since! According to new research from Packaged Facts, chocolate candy sales in the United States are expected to exceed $26 billion in sales by 2018, up from an estimated $22 billion in 2015.

 

Candy never goes out of style

Unlike many products that trend and then fade out with time, candy is always a favorite. From gift giving to holiday celebrations, candy has become a part of tradition. With that being said, it’s no surprise that chocolate comes in as one of the most popular and widely consumed candy products in the entire world – Americans alone eat over 2.8 billion pounds each year!

 

Candy spreads happiness

According to University Health News Daily, chocolate has been known for its mood enhancing effects due to its chemical makeup, which helps explain that feeling of joy you get when taking a bite out of your favorite chocolate treat! Plus, seeing the joy people get when watching homemade pralines being made or fresh taffy being pulled is an experience unlike anything else. Why not help spread that joy to others by opening a candy store of your own?
Are you ready to join the candy industry? Check out our candy franchise opportunities and learn how you can open your very own River Street Sweets•Savannah’s Candy Kitchen location today!

 
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Scoop Something Sweet with an Ice Cream Franchise

on August 1, 2016

Summer has arrived and that means high temperatures and sunny days. What could be better on a hot summer day than a heaping scoop of ice cream?

couple eating ice creamWe can think of very little that is better, and it seems consumers in the United States agree. On average, Americans eat approximately 20 pounds of ice cream every year, with the majority of that taking place between May and August.

According to the International Dairy Foods Association, ice cream production kicks into gear in March and April to fill retail pipelines for the late spring and early summer. Overall, June is the highest ice cream production month of the year, in order to satisfy ongoing summer demand.

What this means for you: ice cream is a booming industry, despite the growing popularity of frozen yogurt, and a sweet franchise opportunity you should consider investing your business dollars into.

Here at River Street Sweets•Savannah’s Candy Kitchen we’ve become the premiere candy franchise in the South. Our parent companies, River Street Sweets and Savannah’s Candy Kitchen collectively generate about $25 million in annual sales, and have coined a unique and growing market niche in the candy industry.

And we’re expanding on that success by offering select franchisees the opportunity to open a candy franchise that now features ice cream in states like North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and many more locations. In fact, our very first River Street Sweets•Savannah’s Candy Kitchen franchise is Pooler, Georgia serves ice cream along with our famous candies and even operates a custom ice cream cart, a unique feature only found at Tanger Outlets.

One of the best things we did at River Street Sweets and Savannah’s Candy Kitchen is provide our customers a nostalgic experience of watching candy makers hand dip pralines onto giant marble slabs. We’ve taken that same hands-on approach to our ice cream franchise offerings at River Street Sweets•Savannah’s Candy Kitchen.

Everything we do here at River Street Sweets•Savannah’s Candy Kitchen is for the joy of our customers, and it’s led to us becoming one of America’s finest and most successful candy brands. The ice cream market is next on the list. Find out more about our ice cream and candy store franchise opportunity.

How our corporate locations can help you!

on May 18, 2016

Strickland family

Every great structure is built on a strongly-constructed foundation. It could be a house, a family, a skyscraper, a sports team, or a business hierarchy — they all rely on a firm foundation.

That’s also the case when talking about franchise opportunity. Just like those other areas, it’s important to set roots for your franchise by establishing a healthy corporate operation. That’s one thing River Street Sweets•Savannah’s Candy Kitchen has covered.

Our corporate, family-owned candy stores, River Street Sweets and Savannah’s Candy Kitchen, have been operating since 1973 and collectively we have 16 locations established in the southern United States. These locations not only offer our franchisees a vetted concept that’s been developed over 40 years in the candy industry, but it also provides them with the security that we here at River Street Sweets•Savannah’s Candy Kitchen know a thing or two about the candy and ice cream business

Plus, our rich history and strong family culture provides an advantage to you as the franchisee because people already know our name and love our products. As Savannah’s oldest candy store, we’ve been able to secure one of the most loyal customer bases in the industry with our attractive and inviting family atmosphere and our one-of-a-kind experience. After joining our franchise and becoming part of the River Street Sweets•Savannah’s Candy Kitchen family, you too can reap the benefits of our brand awareness.

The beauty of all of this is we’ve done the work for you. We have determined there is an appetite for our sweet treats and our continued success here in Georgia is evidence that the demand for our product and our brand isn’t going anywhere.

Not only that, but our established locations allow us great potential for growth. Since we’ve already entrenched the River Street Sweets•Savannah’s Candy Kitchen name throughout the south and southeast, our franchisees are offered unique opportunities all across the nation. Our flexibility even allows our potential franchisees to choose or suggest their own locations.

So, if you’re interested in owning your own candy store franchise, contact us today and let us know where you’d like to start your very own River Street Sweets•Savannah’s Candy Kitchen! Here are available candy store franchise locations.

 
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Something Sweet for Valentine’s Day

on February 12, 2016

When you think about what to buy your loved ones on Valentine’s Day, what are the first things that come to mind? Jewelry? A nice dinner? Perhaps a bouquet of flowers? Well, if you said chocolate, you are not alone. Nearly 60 million pounds of chocolate are purchased every year during the week of Valentine’s Day; that’s enough chocolate to fill 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Chocolate isn’t the only confection popular on and around February 14, though. In addition to heart-shaped boxes filled with cocoa treats, about 8 billion Sweethearts® are produced annually for the holiday and nearly $450 million is spent on candy just during the week of Valentine’s Day.

With so many candy options available to consumers, the selection process can become a little daunting: let us help you out!

candy apples

At River Street Sweets•Savannah’s Candy Kitchen, we have a wide assortment of Southern candy favorites including our jumbo Chocolate Apples; white, milk and dark chocolate Loggerheads and of course, our World Famous Pralines.

Not only will choosing a delectable treat from us at River Street Sweets•Savannah’s Candy Kitchen score you some points on the big day, for those of you who tend to procrastinate the gift shopping, you can also take advantage of our flat rate shipping to get it there in time.

For a combination package of our most popular treats, try one of our Signature Tin of Favorites or our Valentine’s Day Gift Basket. You can also never go wrong with a gift box filled with our World Famous Pralines and Chocolate Loggerheads.

 
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What is the praline and why is it so popular?

on December 31, 2015

Any self-proclaimed candy connoisseur, sweet specialist and treat treasurer should know about earthly delights known as pralines. Even bonbon backers who have heard of pralines or tasted the sweet clusters of almonds or pecans and caramel might not know their origin and where they are so  often enjoyed in the United States.

A brief history of the praline
The creation of the praline involves French 17th century diplomat César, duc de Choiseul, comte du Plessis-Praslin, who was known for wooing as much as for pralines. Although the precise nature of the praline’s origin is not 100 percent clear, most historians agree that Plessis-Praslin’s personal chef, Clement Lassagne, concocted the confection.

One praline origin story notes that Lassagne drew inspiration from young children nibbling on crumbs of almonds and caramel left on serving trays while another story involves a clumsy apprentice knocking a container of almonds into a vat of gurgling caramel. Either way, Lassagne was reportedly the architect of these divinely sweet and rich treats that his employer — and his creation’s namesake — used in his wooing and courting efforts. He would order a bundle of the sweets packed into a box and delivered with his name attached. At that point, people began calling the irresistible treats after him.

Why are pralines so specifically associated with the Southern United States?
Ursuline nuns came to New Orleans in 1727 to watch over the young French women brought to the Southern United States to marry French colonists. The young women, often orphans, came with only a casket, or small box, of their belongs. The wise Ursuline nuns accompanied the young women to help them become upstanding women, set to marry and settle in the colonies. As the nuns shared their homeland treats, locals tried to mimic the recipe. Since almonds were not local and in ready supply in the region, local confection makers used pecans to classic results, giving the praline a local flair all its own. The pecan created a unique texture and soon became an important part of the local industry, sold in Jackson Square by older Creole women called “Pralinieres.”

While Texas and Savannah, Georgia vie for bragging rights on this sweet treat, history tends to sway the vote to Louisiana, though River Street Sweets•Savannah’s Candy Kitchen would beg to differ. Regardless of the specific area, the praline is a traditionally a Southern treasure and source of great pride.

One other small point of contention lies in the pronunciation of the candy’s name. New Orleans residents ardently believe the “a” sound is long, as in “praw-leen,” giving it more of a French sound while Texans, Georgians and New Englanders prefer pronouncing it as “pray-leen,” joking that it isn’t a fish, playing on the pronunciation of “prawn.”

Where else can praline-lovers readily find these treats throughout the United States?
While pralines still maintain a stronghold in the Southern United States, fans in the Northeast can find them in places like Bristol, Vermont and Lenox, Massachusetts. However, praline fans all around the world can order these delights from various online distributors from their origin of choice.

The World Famous Pralines sold by River Street Sweets•Savannah’s Candy Kitchen are a popular mail order item, both during the holidays and year round. Co-owner Jennifer Strickland was born in Louisiana and took many trips to New Orleans as a kid. The Strickland family researched and perfected their praline recipe, which is the same one River Street Sweets•Savannah’s Candy Kitchen uses today.

For more information on how to try the best praline around, and to find out how to get in on the business yourself, head to www.riverstreetcandykitchen.com.

 
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