Pie Face Bakery Cafe Takes Manhattan on Australia Day

Australian Roast Coffee and Meat Pies for New Yorkers

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pie Face (www.piefacenyc.com), Australia’s popular bakery café, will celebrate the grand opening of its first U.S. location on January 26, 2012 which is Australia Day. The 24-hour take-out shop will bring the iconic Australian meat pie and Australian Roast Coffee to hungry New Yorkers at its location next to the landmark Ed Sullivan Theater on Broadway and West 53^rd Street.

“We recognize that this is a pretty audacious move, taking an Aussie icon, the humble Australian meat pie, to the Big Apple.”

Pie Face co-founder Wayne Homschek, an Atlanta native who relocated to Australia twenty years ago, is thrilled to introduce Americans to this Australian favorite. Says Homschek, “We recognize that this is a pretty audacious move, taking an Aussie icon, the humble Australian meat pie, to the Big Apple.” Adds his partner, Betty Fong, ”We think that New Yorkers will love Pie Face just as much as Aussies do because of the high-quality food, good value, and of course, those cute little faces on every pie.”

With 70 stores in Australia (80% franchised), Pie Face sells more than seven million Australian meat pies each year. The company plans to have 140 stores worldwide, including ten stores in New York, by June 2013. With 123% increase in revenue over 2010, Pie Face continues to experience significant growth since starting their franchising program in 2009. Pie Face plans to expand U.S. to other major cities too, including Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles with a combination of company-owned and franchised stores.

Pie Face is also bringing Australia’s sophisticated coffee culture to the U.S., with their Wake Me Up! Coffee, a proprietary Australian roast. Pie Face coffee comes in a range of strengths, from “Still Asleep!” (decaf) to “Open My Eyes!” (soft blend) to the strongest espresso blend “Kick My Arse!” New Yorkers will learn to order coffee the Australian way too, with the “Flat White” (espresso with steamed milk) and the “Long Black” (the Australian version of an Americano).

In addition to sweet and savory pies and coffee, Pie Face will offer a full selection of sandwiches and baked goods, including the traditional Australian favorite, sausage rolls. Perfect for a morning pick-me-up, lunch on the go, or a late night snack, Pie Face is a competitive newcomer to the American market.

Pie Face, 1691 Broadway (between 53^rd and 54^th Streets), New York, NY 10019, 212-247-9065; www.piefacenyc.com

About Pie Face

Pie Face was founded in Sydney in 2003 by Wayne Homschek and Betty Fong, former fashion designers. Pie Face is a retail bakery cafe chain specializing in gourmet Australian meat pies (with faces piped on to indicate filling), sausage rolls, coffee, mini sweet pies, and other baked goods. Pie Face’s Wake Me Up! coffees provide quality espresso coffee in various strengths to allow customers to order coffee just the way they like it. Pie Face has 70 stores in Australia with its first international store opening in NYC in January 2012.

Pie Face Fast Facts

70 stores across Australia

18,662 pies sold per day

1^st U.S. store opening in NYC January 2012

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