Editorial

The innovative quick service restaurant is now in Wal-Mart stores!

If you’ve had the opportunity to try a BLIMPIE sandwich, you’ve noticed right away that it is just better than other sandwiches. The fresh bread is tasty. The meat is delicious and the vegetables are crisp and flavorful. When you eat a BLIMPIE sub, you remember how a sandwich used to taste – before the advent of watered-down, generic meat and cardboard-flavored bread.

Why a BLIMPIE Sandwich Just Tastes Better
J.A. Archer, vice president of Franchise development for Blimpie, says the company has always used the highest quality ingredients. For example, while other sandwich shops get their meats and cheeses pre-sliced and frozen between sheets of plastic, BLIMPIE restaurants use high quality Dietz and Watson meat, a name synonymous with the finest varieties of deli products. Dietz and Watson uses only the freshest top quality lean cuts of beef, pork, ham, turkey and chicken and then adds herbs and spices to enhance the natural flavor. There are no fillers and nothing artificial.

Besides using high-quality ingredients, BLIMPIE fresh slices the meats, vegetables and cheeses in restaurants, so the flavor really comes though.

“Over the course of the last several years,” says Archer, “we’ve also introduced some very high-quality breads with a high-flavor profile. Our artisan breads have been very successful and we know that people who enjoy a good sandwich will choose us once they’ve tasted our product.”

In addition to the traditional hot and cold sub sandwiches, BLIMPIE serves an array of other products, such as grilled Panini sandwiches, wraps, soups, salads and dessert items. Blimpie also has a Carb Counter menu and their low-carb bread is very popular.

The freshness and quality of their ingredients appeal to today's health-conscious consumer.

“Catering is a large part of our business and our most successful franchisees focus on the catering aspect,” says Archer. BLIMPIE can provide everything from deli sandwich trays to 6-foot subs for a business or family gathering. Many restaurants also provide delivery.

BLIMPIE is Now in Wal-Mart!
From their beginnings in 1964, the BLIMPIE brand has grown to about 1700 locations and is headquartered in Atlanta. They have a larger presence in the eastern and southern parts of the US and also in California, but are growing in other areas.

“We are currently focused on an exciting opportunity we now have with Wal-Mart,” says Archer. “We have several hundred locations across the country where we can franchise a BLIMPIE Restaurant inside a Wal-Mart store. This is a huge opportunity for a franchisee because they don’t have to worry about finding a location, negotiating a lease, designing a store, etc. – we provide all of those services. But even more significant an advantage to a franchisee is the built-in traffic - millions of Wal-Mart customers passing the location, year in, year out. We already have about 45 of these restaurants open and many more are scheduled to open in 2005.”

Not only does this add value to both BLIMPIE and Wal-Mart, but the customer will welcome the convenience of having both shopping and meals in one location. “The reason Wal-Mart is interested in this project is that it will get a quality, branded food concept in house not only for customers but also for their employees,” says Archer.

Another innovation of the BLIMPIE brand is a revamping of the restaurant’s look, tone and feel. “We have the quality of a Panera Bread type of product, but our price profile is competitive with Subway,” says Archer. “Beginning in 2005, we will be rolling out a new design for our restaurant to give our customers a nicer dining experience, one more commensurate with the quality of our food. This beautiful design will be going into all the Wal-Mart stores as well as into our traditional restaurants.”

The Best Choice Franchise in the Quick Service Category
The sandwich category of quick service restaurants is growing faster than other areas, says Archer, and that makes this an excellent time for someone thinking of a Food franchise to look at the BLIMPIE franchise opportunity.

“The good thing about our business,” says Archer, “is that anybody who has a good customer service ethic and a reasonable amount of business savvy can be successful. We will provide the training so a candidate does not need a food service background to make this business work.”

Current franchisees come from a variety of backgrounds, including everything from the military, to banking, to law enforcement to engineering. There is also a broad age range of franchisees, adds Archer. BLIMPIE has awarded Franchises to young adults fresh out of college, couples who want a business that can include the entire family, and retirees who want an easy, fun business to run. Many of their franchisees go on to own multiple BLIMPIE restaurants.

New franchisee training includes hands-on experience in a BLIMPIE restaurant and then two weeks of training at BLIMPIE University, where P&L management, cost of goods, customer service, marketing and other business aspects are covered in detail.

“From both a financial and an operational standpoint, BLIMPIE is easier to get into than other food franchises,” says Archer. “The equipment and inventory are simpler and the labor needed is less extensive.” For example, there is no need for the expensive venting and grease traps and other equipment required by a hamburger restaurant. Also, a new franchisee can operate with about 10 employees instead of the several dozen that may be needed for other concepts.

“We have a tagline we use,” says Archer, “I want my BLIMPIE. Everyone has a favorite sandwich, built just the way they like it. They don’t even look at the menu and that’s the kind of individual service we like to provide. In the same way, we want our franchisees to think of BLIMPIE as their BLIMPIE. They can make it as successful as they want and we will provide the support for them to do so.”

For anyone looking for a fun, easy to run business with lots of opportunity for success, while also offering a high quality product, the folks at BLIMPIE would love to talk to you!

"BLIMPIE provides a remarkable customer 'experience' delivering Real. Fresh. Taste. that fills the senses in every bite."

Benefits of Owning a BLIMPIE Franchise