The economy’s long malaise may have zapped a lot of the industry’s material good fortune—certainly, sales, margins and customer counts have all taken heavy hits. But it did not crush the entrepreneurial spirit on which the industry is built. If anything, the downturn has provided a canvas for some daring and innovative operators to unleash their creativity in unexpected ways—and sometimes turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse jangling with money.
Need proof? It can be found throughout this issue. From the front to the back, the industry’s enterprising spirit emerges as a recurring theme and the risk takers are the heroes.
For example, on page 1 you will find a story exploring the evolution of gourmet food trucks. This band of entrepreneurs was born as the economy was crashing, amid rampant layoffs and skyrocketing real estate costs. Now, taking your show on the road literally has become almost commonplace, as chains and independents alike join the growing caravan.
The transition from phenom to mainstream has been lightning-fast, forcing such mobile vendors as John Bowler, owner of the Barbie Q’s food truck in Los Angeles, to establish organizations that give them a political voice and defend their right to compete against their brick-and-mortar brethren.
Speaking of competition, in this issue’s Growth Chains feature, you can read how Todd Parent has proven his mettle in the cutthroat pizza segment. He turned his love for extreme sports into a 41-unit fast-casual pizza concept, Extreme Pizza. The concept has found a niche offering gourmet toppings at relatively low prices under such adventurous names as Everest and Adrenaline Rush. The chain’s annual sales already are around $20 million, and Parent’s goal is to grow his delivery and take-and-bake pizza concept to more than 100 locations in the next five years.
In the Marketing section we examine the growing use of location-based social media, such as Foursquare, and how some operators like Milwaukee’s Joe Sorge are using it to build community, brand loyalty and sales.
On the topic of technology, coverage of the recent FS/TEC conference can be found in the Business Intel section. Complementing our print stories, on
And in this issue’s Community section, we catch up with John Y. Brown Jr., whose entrepreneurial pursuits have kept him in the limelight over several decades. Among Brown’s successes is Kentucky Fried Chicken, which he bought from Col. Harland Sanders in 1964 and grew from 600 units to 3,500. He also co-founded Kenny Rogers Roasters, expanding that chain to more than 300 restaurants before selling it in the mid-1990s. Today, Brown, who also served as governor of Kentucky, is looking to share his hard-earned wisdom. He is developing a seminar series intended to encourage entrepreneurship.
Brown is quick to point out that entrepreneurial success is more about perseverance than about luck.
“I want to help people understand that entrepreneurs don’t fail; we just keep changing things until we get it right,” he said. “So this isn’t about motivational speeches. It’s about giving answers to problems.”
I wish I could say that the thread of entrepreneurialism that winds through this issue was planned, but perhaps the fact that it wasn’t is the real message here. No matter the difficulties, the foodservice industry’s indefatigable personalities manage to find new, compelling ways to prosper.
As Brown said, “I’m very optimistic about the restaurant industry, because usually out of crisis comes opportunity.”
