Plano-based Frito Lay and Shark Tank-based Tom+Chee grilled cheese restaurant are fired up to be working together.
Frito Lay’s Cheetos Crunchy Flamin’ Hot Cheese-Flavored Snack is being used in a variety of the restaurants grilled cheese sandwiches, melts and donuts.
“Teaming up with the Cheetos Brand has been a great experience and we’re thankful for their support of our culinary creativity,” said co-founder Corey Ward. “We’ve taken the flavors and really infused them into our brand by taking our entire menu and letting customers add Cheetos Flamin’ Hot crust to anything. If you’re a fan of our Grilled Mac+Chee, crust it with Cheetos Flamin’ Hot and we’ll swap the fried onions out with more Cheetos! Our Grilled Cheese Donut? We’ll crust that, too! There really are no limits to what we’ll crust. If it’s on our menu and customers want it, we’ll crust it with Cheetos Flamin’ Hot. It’s really out of control, but it’s awesome!”
Specializing in grilled cheese and melts, Tom+Chee has long been known for its fresh ingredients and quirky takes on comfort food classics. The entire menu is made fresh, with no fryers, freezers, or microwaves, and offers a variety of vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options.
“Our relationship with Tom+Chee is relatively new but with this new culinary creation it is taking the relationship into an exciting new territory. We’re enthusiastic about the possibilities and the consumer feedback,” said MaryAnn Logsdon, PepsiCo executive in Cincinnati. PepsiCo is the parent company of Frito Lay.
Originally started as a food tent in Cincinnati, Tom+Chee has enjoyed explosive growth since the founders pitched their business on ABC’s “Shark Tank” in May 2013. The Tom+Chee franchise currently has more than 99 stores under contract in 20 states, including Tennessee, Ohio, Michigan, Colorado and Texas.
Locally, there are restaurants in Fort Worth and Richardson.
www.tomandchee.com.
