based Bama Foods Inc. announced plans Thursday to expand its plant in north Tulsa and add 55 jobs after it won a contract to provide hotcakes to McDonald's as part of the restaurant's all-day breakfast menu.
Company and local officials took part in a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday at the plant.
Bama CEO Paula Marshall said that the expansion, which must be open in nine to 10 months, is the company's first in the United States since the 1990s and comes after it won a six-month bidding process to provide the hotcakes.
"Bama's new hotcakes line, combined with the success of all-day breakfast at McDonald's, will be a winning combination for both companies," Marshall said. "We're thrilled to continue growing with McDonald's and to bolster our partnership with this new product line."
The expansion is projected to cost about $33 million, according to the company.
"We have to buy some new equipment, about $30 million of equipment. And the expansion costs some money, but we're really happy about the new jobs," Marshall said.
Bama provides bakery products, including hand-held pies, biscuits, buns, pie shells, pizza and crusts to restaurant chains.
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This story has been corrected to show that the groundbreaking was Thursday, not Wednesday.