Product, service, image
Rose identifies three core fundamentals that are part of any successful franchise operation: product, service and image.
“Product is the backbone and is built on a process that Sean built,” Rose says. “We have recipes for our dough, recipes for our sauces and spec charts for every product that we have. Every pizza, every sub. That’s pretty easy. There’s not a lot of variation from that.”
When it comes to service, Rose says there can be varying structures that provide the same end result of a great customer experience.
“I talk about this inside the four walls all the time,” Rose says. “When you’re 8 years old on a Friday night, and your two parents and your brothers and sisters are there and you guys are going to watch a movie and you get that pizza. That family has made an investment in us to provide that experience for them.
“That service can be delivered on multiple levels and we have different personalities that provide exceptional customer service. So they vary within the way they deliver the service, but as long as the customer service is top notch at the end of the day, that can happen.”
The third piece, image, is not really open to interpretation.
“Image is certainly controlled, every facet, by a franchisor down to lobby renovations, the artwork, the computer systems that we use and the hats and uniforms,” Rose says.
“All of our franchisees but one is a multiunit owner, and you can see the expansive growth of the people that have adopted the systems and put their own service on it — top-notch service — which we measure through secret shoppers, through operational audits and through phone audits. We have a litany of operational controls that we go through. As long as they’re scoring very high on those — product, service and image — we’ll grow.”
Only the best
The business principles and disciplined franchise structure are obviously valuable components to the Romeo’s Pizza brand. The flavorful pizza is what makes it all go and Brauser has won numerous awards over the years for his skill at making it delicious.
“We really focus on the sauce a lot,” Brauser says. “With Romeo’s, it’s a sweet sauce. We’ve always been focused on the absolute best product we can provide and we charge a little bit higher of a price, but I think our customers appreciate the quality. We’ve been brought products that are cheaper, but they’re not as good as what we have, so we pass on them every time. That’s just a core value we’ve had from the beginning.”
Staying on top in any industry is a challenge these days with the short attention spans that have only been made shorter by the world of social media.
Even a product like pizza, which studies have shown to be the No. 1 most addictive food in the U.S., can lose favor with the consumer for a variety of reasons that aren’t always rational.
So how do you balance the confidence in something that works with the need to keep pace with new tastes and preferences?
“We talk about the word evolvement a lot and the evolvement of our brand,” Rose says. “It’s not necessarily changing our product; it’s changing our attitudes, and it’s keeping them fresh and keeping them current. We engage professionals. We invest heavily in relationships with marketing companies and people that can tell our story and public relations that continue to keep us on the front of the market.
“It’s really telling the world our story in the way that the story needs to be heard today, as opposed to the way it needed to be heard 15 years ago. We’re not the experts at telling our story; we’re the experts at telling the experts our story, and they make it current. And I think if we keep that attitude fresh, we keep driving towards our goals.”
So while Pizzafire is the kid on the block getting a lot of attention from Brauser, he hasn’t forgotten where it all began.
“Ryan’s done a great job of bringing that team together — the Romeo’s team — and focused on Romeo’s goals and Romeo’s opportunities so that we’re co-brands,” Brauser says. “We can use resources, thoughts, conversations, that kind of thing, but really his team is dedicated to driving that Romeo’s brand, which is thriving.”
Romeo’s continues to grow and look beyond the borders of Ohio for new franchise opportunities. Rose says the goal is to go from 35 to 75 stores in the next five years. At Pizzafire, the plan is to have 100 units in four states in 10 different markets in four years.
Growing too fast isn’t a concern, Brauser says.
“I think it’s a fake fear,” he says. “As long as you have your infrastructure of people who are dedicated to the brand and dedicated to working hard, we’ll find a way to make it succeed, even if we have to muscle it through some tough times.” ●
Takewaways
- Develop a model that enables franchisees to succeed.
- Maintain focus on your product, service and image.
- Work hard to stay in touch with your customers.
The Brauser/Rose Files
NAME: Sean Brauser
TITLE: Founder and CEO
COMPANY: Pizzafire
NAME: Ryan Rose
TITLE: President and CEO
COMPANY: Romeo’s Pizza
And the winner is … Romeo’s Pizza:
■ Three-time Best Pizza in the Midwest 2002, 2004, 2013
■ Seven-time Best Pizza Medina County 2004-2008, 2010, 2013
■ Best Gourmet Pizza In America (Italy) 2004
■ Bronze Medal – Food Network $10,000 Pizza Challenge
■ Best Pizza in North America (Italy) 2006
■ Best Pizza in Cleveland (Fox 8 Hot List) 2007
■ Five-time Best Pizza “Slice of Columbus,” People’s Choice 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
■ Medina County Economic Development 2011 Business Growth Award
Brauser on the birth of Romeo’s Pizza: I graduated from Bucknell University with a degree in finance and marketing and went to work for Johnson & Johnson. I decided that I didn’t want to work for anybody else, so I bought a pizza shop in New Jersey when I was 24 years old. I just quit my job and did it, and I did it with credit card financing. So I took out $50,000 on a credit card and bought this pizza shop.
I worked it for about three years and learned a ton of great information, but really burned myself out because I was doing everything myself. So I moved back to Ohio, got another job with a CPA firm doing mergers and acquisitions and realized I had to get back into my own deal. I found Romeo’s, a one-store, mom-and-pop in Medina and I bought it.
Rose on the business of pizza: Sean and I are looking to increase the market’s perception of our business acumen and what we’ve done to grow businesses as opposed to just sell good pizza. We really want to hone in on that professionalism that we bring to a fast-casual or a home meal replacement type of experience.
