Baking&Snack - November 2016 - 12

Taking networking to a new level

Long before Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Amazon,
eBay and the onslaught of social media and online shopping became the norm, Alan Rosen had been driving from
New York City to the QVC studios in West Chester, PA,
to promote Junior's Restaurant to millions of people
across America.
Back in 1995, the only way to get the classic New Yorkstyle cheesecakes nationally was through the shopping
network or mail order. Today, that 21-year partnership
is stronger than ever. On an annual basis, Junior's sells
between 150,000 and 250,000 cheesecakes and other
desserts packed in dry ice and shipped via UPS.
"It's been a fantastic relationship - great for our brand,
great for our business and great to go direct to consumers with some varieties of cakes that we thought wouldn't
fly in retail," explained Mr. Rosen, Junior's owner. "It's
a great way to connect with consumers and talk to
them on live television. Some of the best ideas
have come from them."
Today, as Junior's begins to expand geographically, QVC has also created a base of fans
even among potential retail, in-store bakery
and foodservice customers. During the past
16 months since moving into its 103,000-sq-ft
wholesale bakery in Burlington, NJ, the company hasn't had to do a hard sell because of the
brand's broad awareness.
In fact, Rich McKenzie, national sales manager and
long-time veteran of the retail channel, joined Junior's
in 2015 because of the brand's already-established

EDITORIAL
Editorial Director
Dan Malovany
Executive Editor
Laurie Gorton
Editor
Joanie Spencer
Senior Editor
Charlotte Atchley
Managing Editor
Nico Roesler
Multimedia Editor
Matt Hamer
Contributing Editors:
Donna Berry
Theresa Cogswell
Jim Kline
Joe Stout
DESIGN
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Sadowna Conarroe
Associate Design Services Manager Ryan Alcantara
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recognition across the country. "I wanted the opportunity
to help build a brand, not from the ground up but one
that was known in the retail field, and make it even more
well-known," he said. "That's what brought me to Junior's
in the first place."
Another key to Junior's Restaurant's success involves
the its "restaurant mentality" - the company operates
four of them in New York, Connecticut and Florida -
that it's taking to QVC and the wholesale market, according to Mr. Rosen.
"What's great about it is because of the quick turnaround, you're able to get feedback and create new products in a matter of weeks," he pointed out. "It's on QVC
and in consumers' hands. We're constantly innovating
and creating new products for that relationship, which,
down the road, will become our next great ideas in retail."
Running restaurants and building a wholesale presence
can get crazy at times. Maybe that's why Mr. Rosen has
a pullout couch that sometimes serves as his "bedroom"
while making QVC appearances and meeting customers
at the Burlington bakery right outside of Philadelphia -
now the home of cheesesteaks and cheesecakes.
But he insisted Junior's isn't in a hurry to conquer the
world. "We're in it for the long haul," he stressed. "We're
going to keep on making the best cheesecakes, the best
layer cakes and baked goods that we know how, and I
think that people are going to respond over time."
That's a formula for success that's worked so far.
- Dan Malovany, editorial director
dmalovany@sosland.com

PUBLISHING
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Paul Lattan
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Steve Berne
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Jon Hall
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Nora Wages
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Erica Reyes
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Marj Potts
Circulation Manager
Whitney Hartman
Director of Digital Advertising
Carrie Fluegge
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Jim White

CORPORATE
Chairman and CEO
Charles S. Sosland
President
L. Joshua Sosland
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Staci Greco
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G. Michael Gude

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Baking&Snack - November 2016

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