Zoup! has broken ground in Bothell. The new restaurant will be located at 1410 228th St. SE, in the Canyon Park Place shopping center. When it opens in mid-April, it will be the first Zoup! in the Seattle area and the second in Washington.

“We’re thrilled to bring Zoup!’s award-winning recipes to Seattle,” says franchisee Kari Hingst. “Zoup! is an absolutely wonderful and unique restaurant concept, and we know that our friends and neighbors in the area will love the fresh, delicious soup we’ll be serving, along with our sandwiches and salads.”

Zoup! features hundreds of award-winning soup recipes with 12 rotating daily varieties, including low-fat, low-cal, vegetarian, dairy-free and gluten-free options, all served with a hunk of freshly baked bread. Customer favorites include Chicken Potpie, Lobster Bisque and Vegetarian Split Pea. The menu also features made-to-order salads and sandwiches, and all menu items are available in convenient catering sizes.

To help customers select from the daily soups, sampling is encouraged. And, for those looking to save time, a daily soup menu and online ordering are available. Customers may also sign up online at zoup.com to receive a daily email menu.

“We created Zoup! after discovering that really good soup is hard to find,” says Eric Ersher, Zoup!’s founder and CEO. “Also, in talking to people, it became clear that there’s something special about soup and the way it elicits thoughts of family, well-being and comfort for many people. We strive to offer authentic, hand-crafted soups that are as good—and as “feel-good”—as the homemade soups our mothers and grandmothers used to make.”

In addition to its unique and diverse menu, Zoup! is built on a foundation of guiding principles called Zoup!isms. “Our Zoup!isms provide a framework for decision-making and help create a strong culture and brand image,” Ersher says. “They also dictate the brand’s uncompromisingly high standards and help guarantee the authenticity and quality of every pot, bowl and cup served.”