Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue IV, 2012 | Page 38

D OM I N A T O R S
By Helen Bond

Good Vibrations

Trading in his surfboard for the restaurant life

F

or William Bruce, chief operating officer at Abundant Brands
in American Fork, Utah, a late
night of channel surfing turned
into a life-altering idea to feed the hungry.
After stumbling across a cable showing
of “Dive!,” a documentary that chronicles
this nation’s habit of throwing out massive
amounts of edible food, Bruce was inspired
to see how his company—whose portfolio
includes 241 Subways and 14 Costa Vida

Mexican Restaurants—could bring about
its own change.
With a central kitchen for the company’s
Costa Vidas already in place, Bruce joined
forces with The Rescue Mission in Salt Lake
City to transform a weekly average of 300
pounds of excess rice, pork, beef, tortillas,
and other food into a seven-layer burrito
dish. These days, the regular delivery of
450 meals is known on the streets as “Costa
Vida Thursday,” says Bruce, who hopes

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