You Won't Believe These Amazing Franchise Opportunities!

Plus! Banana Bodega Research Alert!! Smokers & Eaters!!!

Hello everyone,

Welcome to Issue #77 of CAFÉ ANNE!

So I need your assistance. While chatting with Jason Chatfield for last week’s Q&A on Manhattanhenge, we got to talking about banana bodegas. As you know, every NYC bodega has a bunch of bananas on the counter, typically priced at 50-75 cents per fruit. I complained to Mr. Chatfield that the bodegas in my neighborhood typically offer green bananas. What if I want to eat the banana right away?

Mr. Chatfield said this is because people who live fancy neighborhoods typically bring the banana home and put it in a bowl to ripen. In a working class neighborhood, he continued, “They’re going to eat the banana on the way home. In fact, they’ll be lucky if the peel makes it home.” So bodegas in those communities sell ripe bananas.

Is this true? It FEELS true. But I believe some serious research is in order. Please go to your nearest bodega to check how ripe the bananas are and report this to me, along with the name and address of the store.

If you can include the per-banana price, and a picture of the bananas on the counter, that’s even better. If you can ask the counter guy about his store’s banana strategy that’s even better-better. In fact, it’s so better it’s bananas.

Please send your banana data to annekadet@yahoo.com. I will analyze and report the findings in a future issue.

In other news, I am extremely pleased to report a slew of new paid subscribers: perfectly ripe Bodega Banana Shoutouts to Rob S, JimmyMacTonight, Jennifer F, Kim G, Lockhart S, David E, Rita G, Scott R, Ian W, Renee L, Guy P and Jane S who is “88 years old and tired of the BS”.

I very much appreciate your generosity! As you know, your support keeps CAFÉ ANNE paywall free so that everyone can read all of it, regardless of their ability to pay.

I am very excited about this week’s issue, of course. I went to the big International Franchise Expo at the Javits Center and learned about some very intriguing business opportunities. I also indulged my predilection for making useless little charts. Please enjoy.

Regards!

Anne

STATISTICS CORNER

Trading Camels for Cake!

Nothing kills the appetite like a cigarette, am I wrong? In my early 30s, my ideal dinner was a few drinks and a pack of Marlboro Lights. I've never been that slender, before or since!

I've long suspected an inverse correlation between smoking rates and obesity rates. As society, it seems, we’ve merely swapped one distraction strategy for another in an effort to prevent the VOLCANO OF INNER PAIN from erupting into our everyday lives, haha!

I couldn't find any charts to illustrate this, so last week I made my own graph based on stats from the CDC and the National Center for Health Statistics. Behold!

The inverse correlation is nearly perfect. The percentage of people who smoke dropped from 42% in 1965 to about 12% today. Over the same period, the obesity rate climbed from 14% to 43%!

My conclusion? Symmetry is cool! Enjoy your sandwich!

FEATURE

You Won’t Believe These Amazing Franchise Opportunities!

I’ve long wanted to attend the big franchise show at the Javits convention center in Manhattan, where hundreds of brands persuade show-goers to invest in an extermination or carpet installation franchise. Why? Because it’s fun to dream! Just by signing a few forms and a big check, you could open your own Hungry Howie’s Pizza or Edible Arrangements or Honey Baked Ham Co. at the nearby strip mall.

I finally got my chance when a recent day off coincided with the International Franchise Expo, the franchise industry's “one-stop-shop event” featuring “businesses at investment ranges from $10,000 to more than $1 million.”

I spent the whole afternoon talking to franchise reps in their sales booths. It was, I admit, a bit disappointing. I’d say 90% of the franchise opportunities were standard gym and fitness brands, while the other 90% were restaurant brands and of those, 90% focused on chicken.

But there were some big players on hand including Subway, Burger King and Chuck E. Cheese, not to mention exciting lesser-knowns such as Primo Hoagies (“It’s not just a hoagie, it’s a Primo!”), Martinizing Dry Cleaning (“The most ICONIC name in dry cleaning!”) and the Fuwa-Fuwa pancake chain which, according to the sales lady, is famous for its “croffles” —half croissant, half waffle.

Intrigued? I picked five favorites from the 300-plus exhibitors to share with you. Please enjoy!

Pet Passages

Andrea Harris of Pet Passages

BUSINESS TYPE: Pet crematorium and funeral home service

TAGLINE: “Dignified Pet Cremation”

INITIAL INVESTMENT: $230,000-$250,000

US LOCATIONS: 19

Andrea Harris, who was manning the booth, told me that Pet Passages was founded by her husband, Michael Harris, in 2016.

“He’s a funeral director by trade, a human funeral director, and lost his two dogs in 2008,” she said. “There were no services that met his needs as a funeral director and as an over-the-top pet parent. So he created his first pet business in 2009, but it was kind of under the family funeral home umbrella.”

“He lost his wife shortly after that, and needed to step away from the human side,” she continued. “He took that original business model and created Pet Passages and took it nationally.”

To launch your own Pet Passages franchise, you need to buy or lease a 2,500 square-foot space; your total upfront investment will be $230,000-$250,000.

“So if I got a franchise, what comes with it?” I asked.

“You get us!” said Ms. Harris. “Constant support. You get a protected territory. You get all the training necessary to run your business. You get our software, which my husband designed.”

It also includes all the necessary equipment, including a cremation chamber, which I learned is called a retort and comes in two sizes.

“We allow people to witness the cremation,” Ms. Harris continued. “Most places won't do that. We let people be as involved as they want to be. We've had entire families come. They do the paw prints with us, they do the fur clippings with us, they will place their pet in the machine. They stay for the whole cremation.”

Some customers have the funeral after the cremation, some request the service beforehand.

“Will they actually have the pet on display during the service?” I asked.

“They can,” said Ms. Harris. “This is a funeral home. It's no different than your human family members. Our staff is trained to be able to display the pet. We groom them and set their features.”

“That is the most interesting thing I've ever heard,” I said, imaging myself gently shaping the face of a deceased Beagle into a pleasing expression.

“We accommodate whatever people need,” said Ms. Harris.

GameTruck

BUSINESS TYPE: Mobile gaming arcade for parties

TAGLINE: “We Deliver Excitement!”

INITIAL INVESTMENT: $170,000-$250,000

US LOCATIONS: 51

Mark Strano, the company’s director of business development, told me that a GameTruck franchise includes 40-foot trailer equipped with more than 100 arcade games. “It pulls up to your house for birthday parties and other events, and it’s for all ages,” he said. “Six to mid-20s is the typical sweet spot.”

Franchise owners can charge whatever per-event fee they like, but the typical party lasts about two hours and costs about $350, said Mr. Strano. You can fit 15-25 kids in the truck.

“Have you been on the truck when it’s full of kids?” I asked.

“I have,” he said. “It’s quite loud. It’s a great time.”

“It must be completely bananas,” I said.

“Yes, it really is!” he said. “But our game coaches are trained to facilitate the party and make sure everyone has a really good time. Especially the VIP, the birthday child.”

It sounded like an absolute nightmare. I wondered what sort of person sought out this opportunity.

“Someone who likes to work with kids. Someone who likes to have a good time,” said Mr. Strano. “We get owners who want to do something with an older child—a recent graduate from college who is into gaming.”

The truck requires a 60-foot parking space, which makes operations difficult in the city. But the company’s largest franchise owner, who operates nine trucks, is actually based in Queens, said Mr. Strano. This person hosts parties all over the Tri-state area: “But in Manhattan, he struggles!”

Midwest Shooting Center

Midwest Shooting Center’s Amanda Carey and Rachael Lust

BUSINESS TYPE: Gun shop and firing range

TAGLINE: "You're always home on this range."

INITIAL INVESTMENT: $1.8-$3 million

US LOCATIONS: Eight corporate-owned, 30 franchise locations in the pipeline

“I didn’t know you could have a franchise shooting range!” I said, approaching the booth.

“We’re the first ones to ever do it, in term of the full-service aspect,” said Amanda Carey, franchise support manager for Midwest Shooting Center.

The company will help you find an indoor space large enough for a gun shop and firing range—you need at least 10,000 square feet.

I noted that this would be hard to find New York, where the typical storefront is about 1000 square feet.

“Right now, we don't have licensing in New York City,” said Ms. Carey. “But we are in New Jersey. We're working on it!”

“So I can’t open one in the city yet?”

“Unfortunately,” she said. “I know, I know!”

I asked who the typical Midwest Shooting Center franchise owner was. “People who have a passion for firearms but don't really know where to start,” said Ms. Carey. “The other side is people who want to open a business and say ‘Oh, firearms is kind of cool!’”

“When I worked for a small town newspaper, the cops took me down to the firing range. It was so fun!” I said.

“Yeah! It's fun,” Ms. Carey agreed. “I love shooting! It’s a good time. I'm not the best at it. It’s definitely a perishable skill, which is why we encourage you to go practice often.”

The point of the shooting range, she said, is to train folks to use guns safely. On the retail side, meanwhile, franchise owners are encouraged to carry whatever selection of guns and rifles their customers demand. “You could also do consignment,” she said.

I asked about the response at the trade show so far. “We were a little nervous being in New York, what people were going to say,” said Ms.Carey. “But it’s been very positive, and people have been very upset that in New York we don't have our licensing yet!”

Tipsy Scoop

Rachel Chitwood, VP of Marketing at Tipsy Scoop

BUSINESS TYPE: Boozy Ice Cream

TAGLINE: "Party in a pint!"

INITIAL INVESTMENT: $200,000-$300,000

US LOCATIONS: Three company-owned in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Long Beach; Washington D.C. and Portland coming soon.

What could be more fun than carding customers buying ice cream cones? Tipsy Scoop’s “barlour” storefront franchises sell cones, sundaes and pints featuring booze-infused ice cream.

“It’s around 5% alcohol,” said VP of Marketing Rachel Chitwood, who was manning the booth.

“How much ice cream would it take to get drunk?” I asked.

“You'd probably have a stomachache before you'd be drunk,” said Ms. Chitwood. “But if you ate one of those pints, you'd certainly be feeling tipsy.”

Tipsy Scoop launched in New York City; the ice cream is made Upstate, in Red Hook.

While the business offers zero-alcohol ice cream for kids and the straight-edge crowd, “The dark chocolate whiskey salted caramel is the most popular flavor,” said Ms. Chitwood. “My favorite is the cake batter vodka martini. We also have a mango margarita sorbet that has tequila in it.”

Oddly enough, in New York State, you don’t need a liquor license to sell booze-infused ice cream. You can totally stick it to the State Liquor Authority!

Cleanest Restaurant Group

Cleanest Restaurant Group Founder Howard Lemon, Jr.

BUSINESS TYPE: Restaurant cleaning

TAGLINE: "We always guarantee grade 'A' service"

INITIAL INVESTMENT: $100,000

US LOCATIONS: 6

“So this is a service just for cleaning restaurants?” I said. “I’ve never heard of that!”

“Nobody else has either!’” said Howard Lemon Jr., founder of Cleanest Restaurant Group. “What happened is, I got into the business—my dad back in the 70s cleaned everything. Banks, supermarkets, K-Mart, Target, you name it. In 2013, New York City started grading restaurants, A, B, C. That's the point where I said, ‘I'm tired of the competition, there's a thousand cleaning companies, this might be niche for me.’”

“It’s the hardest cleaning in the industry, out of any cleaning I've ever done,” he said. “It’s greasy, it’s dirty.”

The toughest jobs, he revealed, are busy steakhouses and Chinese restaurants. Salad joints are a breeze.

His NYC restaurant cleaning business grew to more than 100 employees cleaning 25-30 locations a day. Soon, big clients like Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and Morton’s steakhouse were asking him to clean locations in other cities. Mr. Lemon Jr. couldn’t be everywhere at once, so he decided to franchise.

“Exactly one year ago today!” he said.

Your $100,000 upfront investment, which includes the $60,000 franchise fee, will purchase a logo-wrapped van, marketing tools including a website, cleaning equipment and supplies including a special line of cleaners. “I have all my own products, we private label everything,” said Mr. Lemon Jr.. “We want to say it’s our secret sauce, because it took a while to find our best products.”

The fee includes training, of course. You and your employees will be trained for a week cleaning actual NYC restaurants! In subsequent sessions, you will receive training in restaurants in your hometown.

“It sounds like a really hard job,” I said.

Mr. Lemon Jr. nodded. “When someone says, ‘Whose my competition?’ I say ‘Nobody!’ Because the hardest cleaning is the restaurants. People leave it to me.”

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Everyone in New York seems to have a more extreme version of the personality that they'd have living somewhere else.”

—Paul Graham

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