The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
Clinton Fleming had more than 30 years under his belt as an electrical engineer when he decided he wanted to do something different.
“I wanted to pursue something where I could be the owner,” said the Piscataway resident.
That desire led to the Aug. 10 grand opening of a Zoup! Fresh Soup Company franchise in the Cedar Grove Center on Cedar Grove Lane.
The store – the first of the Southfield, Mich.-based company’s franchise locations in New Jersey, with the second just weeks away, in Flemington – features a wide variety of soups plus salads and sandwiches.
“We have hundreds of recipes,” said Fleming, who opened the shop with his wife, Charmayne. “We have 12 soups that are rotated daily.”
The soup flavors range from the stalwart chicken pot pie to bisques, several different Gazpachos and seafood etouffee. There are also vegetarian selections.
“We have a bison product, we have a lot of gumbos,” he said. “We have a lot of soups from the Deep South.”
“Everything is prepared fresh,” Fleming said. “Fresh ingredients, that’s what makes the difference.”
Fleming said he also plans on starting a catering service soon, targeted to the many businesses in the immediate area.
Fleming said he took some time deciding on a location, finally settling on the Somerset spot that for years housed part of the Rite Aid pharmacy.
“It was a very good location along Cedar Grove,” he said. “It’s a pretty good corridor between two business locations, Princeton and toward North Jersey. There’s a lot of traffic and the center also has pretty good patronage, so it’s frequented quite a bit, and there’s a good number of businesses in the area.”
Fleming opened with 18 employees, the majority of which, he said, are from Franklin.
What, exactly is Zoup?
“It’s a culture of good people, enthusiasm, a desire to put customer service first,” he said. “Everything matters. We work hard, we love to have fun, we love to serve the public.”
Fleming said he’s been a fan of soup since he was a child.
“It gives you a sense of comfort,” he said.
Store hours are Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The store is closed on Sundays.
