The New York Times reported in an article by David Gonzalez that:There really is a John inside Johnny’s Pizza in Sunset Park, Brooklyn — John Miniaci Jr., whose father, John Sr., founded the neighborhood pizzeria in 1968.
There will soon be another John right next door on Fifth Avenue — Papa John’s Pizza, a franchise outlet. John Jr. considers this as an insult to his own papa John, who died just one month ago. Of all the spots the franchise could have chosen, why, he asks, did it have to be on the other side of the wall where two centurion busts stand guard above customers waiting for zeppoles or Sicilian slices?
“This is a neighborhood that has had businesses in the same family for two and three generations,” Mr. Miniaci said. “These big corporations come in and don’t see the value of that.”
That’s why Johnny’s latest delivery is a petition — to Papa John’s corporate headquarters in Kentucky. Some 2,200 people — shopkeepers and customers, including other pizzeria owners — have come to Mr. Miniaci’s defense. They have signed a declaration “to stop the establishment of Papa John’s in our neighborhood.”
This Brooklyn community has been grappling to maintain its character in the face of impersonal economic and residential development. The storefronts along Fifth Avenue near 58th Street have long been home to mom-and-pop stores and restaurants, patronized by the working families who live in the brownstones on narrow side streets. The stores have awnings that announce “Decent Dental Services” or “Spanish and American Food.”
Many were here when the area was down on its luck and real estate values were low, and are determined to keep the neighborhood’s traditional feel, even as they see chain stores and fast-food franchises creeping in.
Read the whole story: Let’s Talk Franchising
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With over 25 years of franchise, marketing, and entrepreneurial experience, and the owner of Franchise Perfection, Jim Coen, brings key skills to franchise consulting for those interested in buying a franchise business opportunity.
Jim has been a franchisee, worked for franchisors, ran a multi unit operation for a franchisee, and served as a franchise consultant matching candidates with the right franchise.
At Franchise Perfection there is no perfect franchise, but there is always a perfect match.
For over 20 years Jim worked with Super Coups. Super Coups is a MA based direct mail franchise business to business opportunity.
Prior to Super Coups Jim successfully marketed franchises in the New England area for Uniglobe Travel Northeast a travel franchise, Merry Maids a maid cleaning franchise, & Emack & Bolio an Ice Cream franchise.
Jim was the host of a popular radio show in the Boston Area called "Let's Talk Franchising" that was broadcast on AM 1060 WBIX The Boston Business Station.
Jim currently serves on the Board of Directors of the New England Franchise Association (NEFA) www.nefranchise.org
This is a portion of a comment I made in another forum:
“In a nutshell after having spent decades as the customers of franchise chains boomers give indication that in retirement they may prefer and actually seek out non-franchise entities for leisure activities.”
I suspect that in the future the bloom will be off the rose in terms of franchising. Not only will communities try and retain their uniqueness but those hard core customer’s of franchise brands are likely to desire something a bit off the well beaten track in retirement and delight in discovering unknown brands, quaint little places etc, etc in their retirement.
Personally, I find franchising the equivalent of cultural genocide and welcome any impedance that individual communities are able to build.
Fuwa,
Unique neighborhoods with unique entities will always attract their share of customers. The reality is those same customers are the ones in their SUV’s stocking up goods at Costco. They also can be seen bringing their kids to My Gym, buying sneakers at Athlete’s Foot, in the drive thru at Dunkin Donuts as their house is being cleaned by Merry Maids, while on their cell phone purchased at Wireless Toyz making dinner reservations at Outback Steakhouse.
There is no doubt that baby boomers are exactly the customers that have fueled the growth in franchising in the last 25 years.
The reality is that franchises offer consistancy of service that customers (especially baby boomers) seek. They also offer independent business owners the opportunity to compete and provide services that are in demand.
In my experience selling advertising services for Super Coups over the last 20 years, I have seen that the franchises are the ones that tend to have their message honed and tuned in to the needs and desires of the customers. There are a few strong independents in every industry in most markets but more often than not the independents have a hard time competing with the box stores and the franchises.
Jim:
Judging by your post I think you missed a couple of keys words and phrases.
The context is:
“boomers”…”in retirement”…”non-franchise entities” “for leisure activities”
So this is a future trend that indicates when it comes to leisure activities (I cannot identify the industries that define “leisure activities do to a NDA and ethics) that “boomers” show a statistically strong preference for non franchise entities.
You can dismiss this as you wish, I posted it for those performing due diligence to consider with the closing simply a statement of personal belief.
FuwaFuwaUsagi
@Fuwa
I think “Cultural Genocide” is a bit much. I think it’s great when people with the resources to do it all themselves make something unique…but not everyone is great in all areas. Marketing and creative design help are perfect examples of where someone who just wants to own a restaurant might not excel.
For those people franchises are a great way to do what they do best, and let others handle the aspects their not good at. Do I want a Starbucks on EVERY corner…no…but genocide it ain’t.
Sorry Michael, but I’ll stand by my comment. Part of my formal training was as a cultural anthropologist. Many years ago I traveled this great nation of mine on foot, by car…mile after mile exploring the intricacies and nuances of the various sub-cultures that made up these United States.
I delighted in the cultural differences of the various regions of the country. Now the national pride is stripped away, the cultural nuance is fading fast, regional dishes are more and more a thing of the past.
As I recall you know something of heritage apples. Given that perhaps you are simply not aware that just as various regions had their apples, that were gems in their locale, that areas also had language dialects, customs, and above all culinary dishes that reaffirmed and taught other generations about that region’s past.
This is one of the effects of a society that is being brain washed into accepting every form of diversity and perversity from outside the geographical bounds of the nation while being told that national pride is inappropriate and that the nation’s past is something to be ashamed of.
I’ll stand by my comment about cultural genocide, inadvertent or intentional the result is the same.