Franchising Today - Summer 2016 - 86
WET WILLIE'S www.wetwillies.com / HQ: Savannah, Ga. / Bill Dickinson, CEO: "We could open and without any advertising at all have 4,000 people there on opening night." happen five to six times a year, but there's always lots of people around, especially on weekends." The city of Savannah's status as a city where open containers of alcohol are allowable in public places, plus its low liquor license fee of $1,500, made it the perfect spot for Dickinson's group to open its frozen daiquiri bar. The first Wet Willie's opened its doors on River Street on St. Patrick's Day 1990. AN INCLUSIVE ATMOSPHERE All Wet Willie's locations feature 20 frozen drink machines that offer a variety of flavors. Keeping it Cool Wet Willie's prides itself on strong drinks and high profit margins for its franchisees. BY JIM HARRIS In 1988, Bill Dickinson and a few friends shared a laugh when one of the group, in response to being asked what he planned to do during his retirement, said he was "thinking about opening a frozen drink bar on a beach somewhere." Shortly afterward, Dickinson - at the time a Licensed Clinical Psychologist - was again approached by the friend, a former Midwest regional sales representative for the Toyota Motor Company, about the idea. "He said he was ready to do it. I asked, 'Do what?', and he said, 'Open the frozen drink bar,'" Dickinson relates. He adds that "I thought about it, and figured that I'm a pretty smart 86 franchising-today.com SUMMER 2016 and focused guy, so maybe this idea could work." Dickinson and his partner began investigating the concept by scouting potential locations on the East Coast and researching frozen drink machines used at bars in New Orleans. After six months of research, the ideal location presented itself during a meeting in Savannah, Ga., during the city's Oktoberfest celebration. "We were on a balcony overlooking River Street [the city's main gathering place] and saw thousands of people hanging around with drinks in plastic cups," Dickinson says. "[My partner] asked how often does this happen, I said gatherings this large A few years after opening their first location, Dickinson and Wet Willie's other founders began pursuing additional locations and franchise opportunities. Today, there are 17 Wet Willie's locations, mainly in the eastern United States. In addition to frozen drinks, the majority of the company's locations offer food. Most locations average in size from 2,500 to 5,500 square feet. Currently three Wet Willie's locations are inside casinos in Atlantic City and St. Louis; these locations do not serve food and are roughly 1,500 to 2,000 square feet in size. All locations feature 20 frozen drink machines offering a variety of flavors that change regularly as well as perennial favorites that have been a staple of the company throughout its 25-year history. Recent flavors include "Polar Cappuccino," a mixture of espresso, coffee-flavored ice cream and grain alcohol; "Jack and Ginger," which features Jack Daniels whisky and fresh macerated ginger; and "Willie Dazed," a version of a hard strawberry lemonade. Although Wet Willie's drinks are known to pack a punch, the environment in its locations is far from hostile. "One thing we're known for - and which I'm very proud of and that I think makes a big difference for us - is that we have designed our ambience