DALLAS — Corner Bakery Cafe, which recently unveiled plans to open five stores in Kansas City, will expand in the Northeast with the planned opening of 22 new locations in Rhode Island and Connecticut throughout the next eight years.

The agreement, which was signed by Top Line Restaurants, calls for 16 cafes in Connecticut and 6 in Rhode Island, with the first location scheduled to open by summer 2013.

Husband-and-wife franchise partners Glenn and Tina Beattie manage Top Line Restaurants. The Beatties have more than 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry and own 37 Denny's in western New York and Arizona.

“The decision to take a restaurant concept such as Corner Bakery Cafe into untapped markets is an easy one for us,” Mr. Beattie said. “I’m confident that everything from the wall murals depicting local landmarks to the freshly prepared breakfast scramblers, grilled panini and hand-roasted coffee will make Corner Bakery Cafe an instant neighborhood staple throughout Connecticut and Rhode Island.”