Così (restaurant)

Così (nasdaq: COSI) is an American restaurant chain that primarily offers sandwiches and salads. It was founded in 1996, and there are currently over 144 locations in the continental United States. The original Così restaurant was based on a cafe in Paris, France.

In October 1999, Così merged with the cafe/bar chain XandO (formerly ZuZu). Così's peak traffic was during the lunch hour, while XandO did heavy business in the evenings, allowing the two companies to complement each other's strengths.

All Così restaurants also feature a full-service espresso bar and some serve alcohol. They are also well known for serving s'mores as dessert. The name comes from the opera Così fan tutte, which was a favorite of the original owner. There are more than 144 restaurants in 16 states, the District of Columbia and the United Arab Emirates. In June 2010 Così sold its District of Columbia stores to Capitol C Restaurants who will run them under a franchise agreement. Capitol C is the owner of Qdoba Mexican Grill. The company's headquarters are located in Deerfield, Illinois.

Cosi's bread is baked in an open flame oven, in full view of customers.