Pizza Today - March 2017 - 84

ized a gas-powered oven that wouldn't
require multi-unit operators to fret over
temperature fluctuations. The first 1000
Degrees location took over a floundering
mom-and-pop shop in New Jersey, beating previous annual sales within
80 days. The business now boasts franchises in 17 states.
Petruzzi's tips for success? Do your
homework as you scout locations, and
have your business plans ready when
you talk to landlords. "It's hard to find
class-A locations, and landlords need to
understand that you're not just another
pizza concept," he says. Just as importantly, know your margins, and choose
your spaces and suppliers accordingly.
"When you're opening, every projection
should be a worst-case scenario."
Steve Jackson, Hungry Howie's
Pizza CEO

Facing a tough education job market, Jackson left college to join Hungry
Howie's owner Jim Hearn in opening
the company's second location in smalltown Michigan in 1976. Throughout
the late 1970s Hearn, Jackson and their
friends and relatives opened 12 stores
in the area, and in 1983 they awarded
their first franchise. Sixty-five more were
opened within the next three years, and
today the company has 600 locations in
21 states.
Regarding the first few locations,
"Building a business is like climbing a
staircase," says Jackson. "There are constant steps to move up to, and it never
ends. Once you've opened those first few
stores, everything is more manageable."
He stresses the importance of investing in a quality POS system, as well as
developing efficient marketing systems.
"We started with door hangers in
the 70s, but eventually we had to pool
money into more sophisticated programs that would advertise for multiple
stores," he says.
As for franchising, "it was a new
frontier to develop training programs
and talk to other people about food
costs and labor," says Jackson. To create
consistency and provide for sustainable
growth, they opened distribution centers
in Michigan and Florida. "Some fran8 4 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / M A R C H 2 0 1 7

chisors try to make distribution a profit
generator, but we use it more to give our
franchisees the tools for success."
Hungry Howie's also faced hard times
in 2007, when Michigan's auto industry
collapse took its toll on the traditionally recession-proof pizza industry.
"We looked at this as an opportunity
to rebuild our 35-year-old brand, to
take what we do and do it better," says
Jackson. They brought in external talent
to help with branding, marketing and
technology investments, and the company just completed its 27th consecutive
quarter of same-store sales growth.
Greg Dunn, Persona Pizzeria
franchise owner

Dunn spent most of his career in
marketing, working for corporate firms
and operating his own agencies. As he
branched out, he leveraged his business
acumen, marketing skills and experience with food industry clients to open
Chicago's first Persona franchise in July
2016.
Why open another pizzeria in a town
already famous for its pie? "Fast casual
pizza is an amazing concept for the
Chicago Loop, serving nearby office
workers who want something quick but
don't want to compromise on taste," says
Dunn. "I looked at a few other concepts
and brands, but once I met the Persona
co-founders and tasted the food, I was
sold."
While Dunn inherited Persona's
product and business model set forth by
its founders, he had to start from scratch
as far as awareness and marketing were
concerned. Only two other Personas
were operating at the time -- one in
South Carolina and one in California --
and Chicagoans had yet to learn about
the brand. To anchor himself in the
market, Dunn opened in the heart of the
Chicago Loop, an area where thousands
of people walk to and from work every
day. "The tradeoff here is there's less
residential traffic, so we focus on maxing
out lunchtime business," he says.
Aside from a strong starting location,
Gregg credits his successful opening to
due diligence and an understanding of
the Chicago market. "As much research

and leg work you think you need to do,
do 50 percent more," he says. "There
are plenty of places to find data and
projections, and that information has to
be reviewed before making a franchise
commitment."
Buddy Koerner, Folino's Pizzeria
co-founder

Koerner's father, John, started several
successful businesses in Shelburne, Vermont, including an apparel company and
bagel shop. While he was still running
the bagel business he bought an open
lot, thinking it would eventually make a
solid site for a new venture.
Meanwhile John learned to make
bread and pizza dough from local bakers, and he soon became known for
hosting pizza parties with his homebuilt
oven -- so well-known that he decided
to open up shop. Serendipitously, he
also met brewer Matt Cohen, who was
looking for a property to open what is
now Fiddlehead Brewery. John, Matt
and Buddy tore down the lot's original
building and built a 5,000-square foot
barn façade to accommodate both businesses.
From construction to training to supply lines, the father-and-son team tackled a whirlwind of logistical challenges
as they opened Folino's. "At first we just
worked with family and friends, but
we've learned more about the emotional
side of leading people and gauging who's
a good candidate," he says. "I was also
surprised by how sneaky suppliers can
be, and it's really helped our bottom
line to be diligent about getting the best
price on every single thing we buy."
Koerner also stresses that building up
your brand is the most critical aspect of
your success, and that word-of-mouth
is the best form of advertising. "People
trust their friends a lot more than they
trust ads, and what people think about
your product is 99 percent of how it will
taste to them," he adds. n
DAVID LAMARTINA is a Kansas City-based
freelance copywriter who specializes in the
finance, food and health industries.

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Pizza Today - March 2017

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