CO: Pizza store franchisee

elSicomoro · 12-28-2002, 08:16 AM

And I'm not talking about Papa John's or Pizza Hut...

There are three chains for whom I would be a franchisee. The first is Imo's, a St. Louis-based chain; Cecil Whittaker's, another St. Louis chain; and Ledo Pizza, a chain based in Annapolis, MD. They all serve thin-crust (or St. Louis style) pizza, which I prefer vastly over thick-crust variations. (By the same token, I've heard a lot of people say that they can't eat the "cardboard" thin crust.)

The problem is...I can't seem to find any decent thin-crust pizza in this town, other than Pizza Hut. And Pizza Hut can be rather expensive if you don't have coupons. Therefore, I would like to bring thin-crust pizza to the masses of Philadelphia: a thin, crispy crust, homemade-style pizza sauce, fresh meat and provolone cheese, all for a reasonable price.

The other neat thing is that you can "personalize" the store. This is actually encouraged by Ledo. You know, I could put up a bunch of Eagles and Flyers stuff, get signed photos and what not. Make it feel more "local."

So, what could possibly be wrong with this scenario?

--$$$: A Ledo franchise is $20,000...the initial investment in opening one of their shops can be as much as $400K plus. That's a lot of dough...no pun intended. Which leads to...

--Demand: Pizza places, especially in this city, are a dime a dozen. While the places I mentioned above would be a unique niche in this city, many pizza places can be here today, gone tomorrow. I don't know if Philadelphians would "approve" of a thin-crust pizza (beyond being an option at Pizza Hut).

--Construction: This city is hard-core union. If I tried to use anyone other than union workers for construction, Johnny Doc and his Goon Squad could cause me a lot of pain--physically and financially.

--Location: Where do you put a pizza place in a city with a pizza place every 5 blocks? Within a 10-minute drive of my apartment, I can count 12.

--Liquor license (or rather, a license to serve alcoholic beverages): Most Cecil's, many Imo's, and every Ledo I've been to sell beer. Getting a liquor license in this state is incredibly tough. From what I've read, the state of PA does not issue them (b/c there are enough proportionate to the population, which is the standard that the state uses). It used to be that you could only buy licenses from within your own county...and I heard of one license fetching around $2 million. Now, you can buy them from any place in the state, but then you have to contend with your local populace. If you ever visit our city, you will notice that many restaurants in Center City are BYOB, which is almost unheard of where I'm from. I'm not saying that I HAVE to have a liquor license, but it wouldn't hurt.

Investors in said franchise would be greatly appreciated.

MaggieL · 12-28-2002, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sycamore
.If you ever visit our city, you will notice that many restaurants in Center City are BYOB, which is almost unheard of where I'm from. I'm not saying that I HAVE to have a liquor license, but it wouldn't hurt.

And then there's that by-the-drink tax too, courtesy Ed Rendell. :-)

Maybe your shop should be outside the city.

slang · 01-03-2003, 11:10 PM

This may seem silly, but have you considered some type of online business instead of a bricks and mortar one?

Griff · 01-25-2003, 02:03 PM

I caught a new On Star commercial where this lady calls and her cars been stolen. Jack Webb fires up the satellite locator, find's the car, and calls the cops. Sweet. For just a second I thought, yah, what a cool job.

elSicomoro · 01-26-2003, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by slang
This may seem silly, but have you considered some type of online business instead of a bricks and mortar one?

I've thought about it, but I really don't have anything to sell. I could always put myself out there for contract work, maybe. Or maybe I could write songs for pop stars (Whitney Houston, Justin Timberlake, etc.).

wolf · 01-27-2003, 11:02 AM

Is anyone else disturbed by the concept of OnStar ... a device, attached to your car WITH YOUR CONSENT that is able to track your movements? Come on guys, that's scary stuff ...

Say your wife got the data download, and found out that you'd been regularly parking the car for long periods in the lot of Hal's Happy Shack and Booty Emporium ... or your auto and health insurance companies were advised of the number of times your car was parked at the State Store (for those of you outside of PA, that is the only place where one may purchase hard liquor by the bottle in the Commonwealth).

Ah ... you probably don't care. And you probably use those supermarket discount cards too, and think you're getting a good deal ...

juju · 01-27-2003, 11:35 AM

Appaprently, trading privacy for security is what people want. After all, it is kind of cool to be able to retrieve your car if it's been stolen. And hey, if you have nothing to hide, then what's the problem? :)

Griff · 01-27-2003, 12:17 PM

If you could keep The Man out of the loop it might be useful, but you can't so it isn't.

It seems like only a matter of time before your private vehicle, at least in urban areas, will be controlled by a central authority if only in the name of better traffic flow. We've all seen the little drawings of vehicles slaved together for efficient highway travel. That little feeling of freedom you get when you ease behind the wheel is slipping away.

Undertoad · 01-27-2003, 01:17 PM

Increases in technology make it easier for the government to track us, but also for us to track the government. Incidents such as Ruby Ridge, which might have fallen through the cracks in previous years, are now targetted and highlighted by Internet watchdogs. This will help to ensure that such incidents are isolated and that better rules of engagement are used.

(Consider that, in that case, numerous death threats were made against the sniper that did the deadly deed. I'm sure that agents are not happy that his home address was widely published and so they will all consider the possible response to outrageous actions. I'm sure there were many Ruby Ridges that we just never heard about in the past.)

With the new voting machines in our county, it is now possible for a single dedicated individual to single-handedly audit a large number of election results. It becomes more difficult for the government not to be representational.

Accurate records make it harder for a prosecutor to falsify a case against someone; instead of just sprinkling some crack around, or planting a receipt, or pounding someone until they confess, you'd now have to change data in private databases, something that is possible but increasingly improbable with proper IT auditing.

Lastly, though the Judicial level is generally dismissed by liberties advocates, that level still acts as the last line of defense against things like problems in laws of evidence. The sky has not fallen until actual cases are used against people.

Griff · 01-28-2003, 06:50 AM

Well, I did say it was a paranoid thought. High Tech holds great promise for liberty and oppression. How it plays out does depend greatly on our judiciary but since 9-11 ... we'll see how it plays out. Now if our advances get us into space as individuals

russotto · 01-28-2003, 09:49 AM

#1: South Philly pizza is thin crust. New York Style, it's usually called outside this area. (as opposed to Chicago for deep-dish)

#2: I have no idea how this got onto privacy, but if the Man wants to track me everywhere, he's going to have to do a black-bag job. I'm not On-Star or LoJacking my vehicle myself.

#3: Supermarket discount cards are great. Get as many as you can, preferably from the same supermarkets, with whatever names you prefer (nonexistent blocks are always good for addresses). Trade them with your friends -- if you can trade with people in other states, so much the better. Use Genuardi's cards at Safeway, it confuses the cashiers when it works.

elSicomoro · 01-28-2003, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by russotto
#1: South Philly pizza is thin crust. New York Style, it's usually called outside this area. (as opposed to Chicago for deep-dish)

I'm confused Matt. So, you're saying that the pizza in South Philadelphia is thin-crust, and is generally known as New York-style? Perhaps I need to visit more pizza joints down that way. I haven't seen the cardboard-like crust in this area, and I would call the NY-style I've eaten over the years thick-crust.

Quote:

#2: I have no idea how this got onto privacy, but if the Man wants to track me everywhere, he's going to have to do a black-bag job. I'm not On-Star or LoJacking my vehicle myself.

You're already being tracked...don't worry.

Quote:

#3: Supermarket discount cards are great. Get as many as you can, preferably from the same supermarkets, with whatever names you prefer (nonexistent blocks are always good for addresses). Trade them with your friends -- if you can trade with people in other states, so much the better. Use Genuardi's cards at Safeway, it confuses the cashiers when it works.

When I shopped at Genuardi's on a regular (when I was working in Ft. Washington), I would use my Safeway card, which drew both fascination and confusion.

Who was the fucking marketing tool that came up with those damned things? As a whole, I find them contemptuous, although the grocery ones have proven helpful.

When Best Buy or another store asks for a zip code (during those zip code surveys), I like to throw them off. I believe the last time they asked, I gave them my old zip in Cape Girardeau (63701, as opposed to the 191XX or 190XX codes of the Philadelphia area).

perth · 01-29-2003, 09:23 AM

i used to work at a mikasa factory outlet, and we were required to ask people for their zipcodes. i could certainly see the logic behind it, especially for a factory store (northeast part of colorado, lots of people from wyoming and nebraska came down). one day i asked an especially grumpy old lady for her zipcode and her reply to me was "i dont want to be on your fucking mailing list!"

maybe this should be in the tisks thread.

~james

elSicomoro · 01-29-2003, 06:27 PM

I know the feeling James...the same shit used to happen to me when I was in retail in the early and mid-90s. When I asked one gentleman for his zip code, he politely replied, "Just fucking ring my order up already, okay?"

perth · 01-29-2003, 07:45 PM

well, it wasnt the language that bothered me so much (hearing a 70 year old lady say 'fucking' is pretty funny). what got me was the idea she had that if i had her zipcode, i could magically determine her whole address and add her to our mailing list.

i have no problem sharing my zipcode. im sure they use it for demographics and if used properly, could be good for me insofar as it can lead to improved selections in things im interested in. i despise when im asked for my phone number, however. in that case i politely refuse or simply rattle off the first 10 numbers that pop in my head.

~james

01-25-2003, 02:03 PM	#4
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	On Star Representative I caught a new On Star commercial where this lady calls and her cars been stolen. Jack Webb fires up the satellite locator, find's the car, and calls the cops. Sweet. For just a second I thought, yah, what a cool job. __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

01-27-2003, 11:02 AM	#6
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	Re: On Star Representative Is anyone else disturbed by the concept of OnStar ... a device, attached to your car WITH YOUR CONSENT that is able to track your movements? Come on guys, that's scary stuff ... Say your wife got the data download, and found out that you'd been regularly parking the car for long periods in the lot of Hal's Happy Shack and Booty Emporium ... or your auto and health insurance companies were advised of the number of times your car was parked at the State Store (for those of you outside of PA, that is the only place where one may purchase hard liquor by the bottle in the Commonwealth). Ah ... you probably don't care. And you probably use those supermarket discount cards too, and think you're getting a good deal ... __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

01-27-2003, 12:17 PM	#8
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	Griffs paranoid thought of the day If you could keep The Man out of the loop it might be useful, but you can't so it isn't. It seems like only a matter of time before your private vehicle, at least in urban areas, will be controlled by a central authority if only in the name of better traffic flow. We've all seen the little drawings of vehicles slaved together for efficient highway travel. That little feeling of freedom you get when you ease behind the wheel is slipping away. __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

01-27-2003, 01:17 PM	#9
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	UT's equal-time reponse to Griff's paranoid thought of the day Increases in technology make it easier for the government to track us, but also for us to track the government. Incidents such as Ruby Ridge, which might have fallen through the cracks in previous years, are now targetted and highlighted by Internet watchdogs. This will help to ensure that such incidents are isolated and that better rules of engagement are used. (Consider that, in that case, numerous death threats were made against the sniper that did the deadly deed. I'm sure that agents are not happy that his home address was widely published and so they will all consider the possible response to outrageous actions. I'm sure there were many Ruby Ridges that we just never heard about in the past.) With the new voting machines in our county, it is now possible for a single dedicated individual to single-handedly audit a large number of election results. It becomes more difficult for the government not to be representational. Accurate records make it harder for a prosecutor to falsify a case against someone; instead of just sprinkling some crack around, or planting a receipt, or pounding someone until they confess, you'd now have to change data in private databases, something that is possible but increasingly improbable with proper IT auditing. Lastly, though the Judicial level is generally dismissed by liberties advocates, that level still acts as the last line of defense against things like problems in laws of evidence. The sky has not fallen until actual cases are used against people.

01-28-2003, 06:50 AM	#10
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	Well, I did say it was a paranoid thought. High Tech holds great promise for liberty and oppression. How it plays out does depend greatly on our judiciary but since 9-11 ... we'll see how it plays out. Now if our advances get us into space as individuals __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

12-28-2002, 08:16 AM	#1
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	CO: Pizza store franchisee And I'm not talking about Papa John's or Pizza Hut... There are three chains for whom I would be a franchisee. The first is Imo's, a St. Louis-based chain; Cecil Whittaker's, another St. Louis chain; and Ledo Pizza, a chain based in Annapolis, MD. They all serve thin-crust (or St. Louis style) pizza, which I prefer vastly over thick-crust variations. (By the same token, I've heard a lot of people say that they can't eat the "cardboard" thin crust.) The problem is...I can't seem to find any decent thin-crust pizza in this town, other than Pizza Hut. And Pizza Hut can be rather expensive if you don't have coupons. Therefore, I would like to bring thin-crust pizza to the masses of Philadelphia: a thin, crispy crust, homemade-style pizza sauce, fresh meat and provolone cheese, all for a reasonable price. The other neat thing is that you can "personalize" the store. This is actually encouraged by Ledo. You know, I could put up a bunch of Eagles and Flyers stuff, get signed photos and what not. Make it feel more "local." So, what could possibly be wrong with this scenario? --$$$: A Ledo franchise is $20,000...the initial investment in opening one of their shops can be as much as $400K plus. That's a lot of dough...no pun intended. Which leads to... --Demand: Pizza places, especially in this city, are a dime a dozen. While the places I mentioned above would be a unique niche in this city, many pizza places can be here today, gone tomorrow. I don't know if Philadelphians would "approve" of a thin-crust pizza (beyond being an option at Pizza Hut). --Construction: This city is hard-core union. If I tried to use anyone other than union workers for construction, Johnny Doc and his Goon Squad could cause me a lot of pain--physically and financially. --Location: Where do you put a pizza place in a city with a pizza place every 5 blocks? Within a 10-minute drive of my apartment, I can count 12. --Liquor license (or rather, a license to serve alcoholic beverages): Most Cecil's, many Imo's, and every Ledo I've been to sell beer. Getting a liquor license in this state is incredibly tough. From what I've read, the state of PA does not issue them (b/c there are enough proportionate to the population, which is the standard that the state uses). It used to be that you could only buy licenses from within your own county...and I heard of one license fetching around $2 million. Now, you can buy them from any place in the state, but then you have to contend with your local populace. If you ever visit our city, you will notice that many restaurants in Center City are BYOB, which is almost unheard of where I'm from. I'm not saying that I HAVE to have a liquor license, but it wouldn't hurt. Investors in said franchise would be greatly appreciated.

01-03-2003, 11:10 PM	#3
slang St Petersburg, Florida Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 3,423	This may seem silly, but have you considered some type of online business instead of a bricks and mortar one? __________________ FTFF

01-27-2003, 11:35 AM	#7
juju no one of consequence Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Arkansas Posts: 2,839	Appaprently, trading privacy for security is what people want. After all, it is kind of cool to be able to retrieve your car if it's been stolen. And hey, if you have nothing to hide, then what's the problem? :)

01-28-2003, 09:49 AM	#11
russotto Professor Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 1,788	#1: South Philly pizza is thin crust. New York Style, it's usually called outside this area. (as opposed to Chicago for deep-dish) #2: I have no idea how this got onto privacy, but if the Man wants to track me everywhere, he's going to have to do a black-bag job. I'm not On-Star or LoJacking my vehicle myself. #3: Supermarket discount cards are great. Get as many as you can, preferably from the same supermarkets, with whatever names you prefer (nonexistent blocks are always good for addresses). Trade them with your friends -- if you can trade with people in other states, so much the better. Use Genuardi's cards at Safeway, it confuses the cashiers when it works.

01-29-2003, 09:23 AM	#13
perth Strong Silent Type Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Fort Collins, CO Posts: 1,949	i used to work at a mikasa factory outlet, and we were required to ask people for their zipcodes. i could certainly see the logic behind it, especially for a factory store (northeast part of colorado, lots of people from wyoming and nebraska came down). one day i asked an especially grumpy old lady for her zipcode and her reply to me was "i dont want to be on your fucking mailing list!" maybe this should be in the tisks thread. ~james

01-29-2003, 06:27 PM	#14
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	I know the feeling James...the same shit used to happen to me when I was in retail in the early and mid-90s. When I asked one gentleman for his zip code, he politely replied, "Just fucking ring my order up already, okay?"

01-29-2003, 07:45 PM	#15
perth Strong Silent Type Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Fort Collins, CO Posts: 1,949	well, it wasnt the language that bothered me so much (hearing a 70 year old lady say 'fucking' is pretty funny). what got me was the idea she had that if i had her zipcode, i could magically determine her whole address and add her to our mailing list. i have no problem sharing my zipcode. im sure they use it for demographics and if used properly, could be good for me insofar as it can lead to improved selections in things im interested in. i despise when im asked for my phone number, however. in that case i politely refuse or simply rattle off the first 10 numbers that pop in my head. ~james

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