Mrs. Fields
Encyclopedia
Mrs. Fields Famous Brands is a franchisor in the snack food industry, with Mrs. Fields and TCBY
as its core brands. Through its franchisees’ retail stores, it is one of the largest retailers of freshly baked, on-premises specialty cookies and brownies in the US and the largest retailer of soft-serve frozen yogurt with live active cultures in the United States. In addition, it operates a gifts and a branded retail business and has entered into many licensing arrangements. Its franchise systems includes over 1,200 franchised and licensed locations throughout the US and in 22 other countries. The company also offers retail grocery products and a gifting catalog under the name of Mrs. Fields Gifts. Mrs. Fields is headquartered in Cottonwood Heights, Utah
.
(b. 1956, Oakland, California
) in the late 1970s. She and her husband, Randall K. Fields, opened their first of many stores in 1977 in Palo Alto, California
, selling homemade-style cookies which quickly grew in popularity. In the early 1990s, the company was sold to an investment firm.
During the 1990s, the company acquired several other brands, including Original Cookie Company, Great American Cookies
, Pretzel Time, Pretzelmaker
, Hot Sam Pretzel Bakery and TCBY
.
In 2007, Mrs. Fields celebrated its 30th Anniversary with a national search for a new cookie. Chandler, Arizona resident, Carrie Lawrence's recipe for "Oatmeal Peanut Butter Scotchies" was chosen over 700 other recipe entries as Mrs. Fields' 30th Anniversary Cookie in August of 2007.
and Waldorf-Astoria Red Velvet Cake.
In response to the chain letter Debbi Fields posted this sign in all of her stores:
Mrs. Fields recipe has never been sold. There is a rumor circulating that the Mrs. Fields Cookie recipe was sold to a woman at a cost of $250. A chocolate-chip cookie recipe was attached to the story. I would like to tell all my customers that this story is not true, this is not my recipe and I have not sold the recipe to anyone. Mrs. Fields recipe is a delicious trade secret.
The author of the chain letter remains a mystery.
purchased the Pretzel Time and Pretzelmaker
concepts from Mrs. Fields Famous Brands. Great American Cookies
was then sold to Nexcen in February 2008.
June 5, 2008 - Mrs. Fields announced plans to begin efforts to restructure their debt by offering a deal to current bondholders. The plan also included the option of filing a prepackaged bankruptcy in the event enough noteholders didn't agree to the offer.
July 10, 2008 - Stephen Russo resigns as CEO. On July 15, 2008, the Board of Managers of the Company appointed Michael R. Ward and John Lauck as Interim Co-Chief Executive Officers to fill the role vacated by Stephen Russo.
August 15, 2008 - Mrs. Fields Famous Brands announced plans to implement a prepackaged Plan of Reorganization and file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
August 24, 2008 - Mrs. Fields Famous Brands officially files for Chapter 11 protection.
August 26, 2008 - Mrs. Fields Famous Brands releases a statement announcing that the bankruptcy court has approved all first day motions. These motions grant approval to:
The statement also mentions that the company expects to emerge from Chapter 11 within 45 days.
October 27, 2008 - Mrs. Fields emerged from bankruptcy.
April 2010 - Mrs. Fields hires Tim Casey as CEO
TCBY
TCBY is an international franchise chain of frozen yogurt stores based in the United States. It is the largest U.S. retailer of soft-serve frozen yogurt with live active cultures....
as its core brands. Through its franchisees’ retail stores, it is one of the largest retailers of freshly baked, on-premises specialty cookies and brownies in the US and the largest retailer of soft-serve frozen yogurt with live active cultures in the United States. In addition, it operates a gifts and a branded retail business and has entered into many licensing arrangements. Its franchise systems includes over 1,200 franchised and licensed locations throughout the US and in 22 other countries. The company also offers retail grocery products and a gifting catalog under the name of Mrs. Fields Gifts. Mrs. Fields is headquartered in Cottonwood Heights, Utah
Cottonwood Heights, Utah
Cottonwood Heights is a city located in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States, along the east bench of the Salt Lake Valley. It lies south of the cities of Holladay and Murray, east of Midvale, and north of Sandy within the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. Following a successful...
.
History
Mrs. Fields Cookies was founded by Debbi FieldsDebbi Fields
Debbi Fields is the founder and current spokesperson of Mrs. Fields Bakeries. Additionally, she has written several cookbooks. She currently lives in Memphis, Tennessee, with her husband, former Holiday Inn and Harrah's CEO, Michael Rose...
(b. 1956, Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
) in the late 1970s. She and her husband, Randall K. Fields, opened their first of many stores in 1977 in Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
, selling homemade-style cookies which quickly grew in popularity. In the early 1990s, the company was sold to an investment firm.
During the 1990s, the company acquired several other brands, including Original Cookie Company, Great American Cookies
Great American Cookies
Great American Cookies is a chain of independently owned and operated franchised stores that specialize in gourmet cookies. It is a franchise brand in the portfolio of . With more than 290 stores in the U.S., Great American Cookies stores are most commonly based in malls nationwide, particularly in...
, Pretzel Time, Pretzelmaker
Pretzelmaker
Pretzelmaker and Pretzel Time are chains of independently owned and operated franchised stores that specialize in hand-rolled pretzels, smoothies and cold beverages. It is a franchise brand in the portfolio of NexCen Brands Inc. Along with sister brand Pretzel Time, there are more than 325 U.S...
, Hot Sam Pretzel Bakery and TCBY
TCBY
TCBY is an international franchise chain of frozen yogurt stores based in the United States. It is the largest U.S. retailer of soft-serve frozen yogurt with live active cultures....
.
In 2007, Mrs. Fields celebrated its 30th Anniversary with a national search for a new cookie. Chandler, Arizona resident, Carrie Lawrence's recipe for "Oatmeal Peanut Butter Scotchies" was chosen over 700 other recipe entries as Mrs. Fields' 30th Anniversary Cookie in August of 2007.
The Chain Letter Recipe
In the late 80's a recipe circulated through the mail that claimed to contain the secret recipe for Mrs. Fields chocolate chip cookies along with a story that the recipe was purchased from one of the cookie stores for $250. However the recipe was a fake and the story that accompanied it was adapted from an urban legend attached to recipes for cookies from Neiman MarcusNeiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus, formerly Neiman-Marcus, is a luxury specialty retail department store operated by the Neiman Marcus Group in the United States. The company is headquartered in the One Marcus Square building in Downtown Dallas, Texas, and competes with other department stores such as Saks Fifth...
and Waldorf-Astoria Red Velvet Cake.
In response to the chain letter Debbi Fields posted this sign in all of her stores:
Mrs. Fields recipe has never been sold. There is a rumor circulating that the Mrs. Fields Cookie recipe was sold to a woman at a cost of $250. A chocolate-chip cookie recipe was attached to the story. I would like to tell all my customers that this story is not true, this is not my recipe and I have not sold the recipe to anyone. Mrs. Fields recipe is a delicious trade secret.
The author of the chain letter remains a mystery.
Financial status
Since early 2006, Mrs. Fields has seen several rounds of layoffs as a result of restructuring efforts. Loss of personnel was due, mostly in part, to the sale of three of the company's brands. In August 2007, Nexcen Brands, Inc.NexCen Brands
Global Franchise Group is a brand acquisition and management firm headquartered in Norcross, Georgia, United States. It specializes in the retail franchising, consumer branded products, and quick service restaurant franchising industries. It was founded in 2010 with the acquisition of NexCen...
purchased the Pretzel Time and Pretzelmaker
Pretzelmaker
Pretzelmaker and Pretzel Time are chains of independently owned and operated franchised stores that specialize in hand-rolled pretzels, smoothies and cold beverages. It is a franchise brand in the portfolio of NexCen Brands Inc. Along with sister brand Pretzel Time, there are more than 325 U.S...
concepts from Mrs. Fields Famous Brands. Great American Cookies
Great American Cookies
Great American Cookies is a chain of independently owned and operated franchised stores that specialize in gourmet cookies. It is a franchise brand in the portfolio of . With more than 290 stores in the U.S., Great American Cookies stores are most commonly based in malls nationwide, particularly in...
was then sold to Nexcen in February 2008.
June 5, 2008 - Mrs. Fields announced plans to begin efforts to restructure their debt by offering a deal to current bondholders. The plan also included the option of filing a prepackaged bankruptcy in the event enough noteholders didn't agree to the offer.
July 10, 2008 - Stephen Russo resigns as CEO. On July 15, 2008, the Board of Managers of the Company appointed Michael R. Ward and John Lauck as Interim Co-Chief Executive Officers to fill the role vacated by Stephen Russo.
August 15, 2008 - Mrs. Fields Famous Brands announced plans to implement a prepackaged Plan of Reorganization and file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
August 24, 2008 - Mrs. Fields Famous Brands officially files for Chapter 11 protection.
August 26, 2008 - Mrs. Fields Famous Brands releases a statement announcing that the bankruptcy court has approved all first day motions. These motions grant approval to:
- Continue to pay employee salaries, wages, and benefit programs;
- Pay vendors in the normal course of business for goods and services provided to the Company;
- Maintain uninterrupted delivery of products and services to the Company’s franchisees and customers.
The statement also mentions that the company expects to emerge from Chapter 11 within 45 days.
October 27, 2008 - Mrs. Fields emerged from bankruptcy.
April 2010 - Mrs. Fields hires Tim Casey as CEO