Dog Days for Johnnie's Dog House
Growing restaurant chain Johnnie's Dog House brings regional American hot dog favorites together and plans to take the diverse dogs nationwide.
By Maya Norris, Managing Editor -- Chain Leader, 3/1/2009 12:00:00 AM
|
Johnnie's Dog House takes the hot dog beyond the usual toppings of ketchup, mustard and relish. The fast-casual restaurant concept is exploring the local and regional interpretations of the hot dog as the six-unit, Berwyn, Pa.-based chain seeks to become a national brand over the next few years.
Founder and CEO Todd Chusid launched Johnnie's Dog House in March 2004. A former management and technology consultant for clients such as Walmart and Dell, Chusid traveled heavily for his job and ate hot dogs in the cities he visited.
Johnnie's Vision
Inspired by the different hot dogs he tried, Chusid created a concept that revolves around a fictitious little boy named Johnnie who travels the world to find the best wiener.
|
| Johnnie's offers three types of hot dogs: beef, turkey and vegetarian. |
"Hot dog people are extremely passionate about that product, just like hamburger people, rib people. So Johnnie's passionate about hot dogs," Chusid explains. "As he was traveling to different cities, experiencing different cultures and countries, he found there were toppings that were very specific to that region, to that culture, to that city."
The fictional boy wants to share his experiences and creates Johnnie's Dog House.
Johnnie's hot dogs, $2.50 to $3.50 each, reflect different parts of the country. The best seller is the Texas Tommy, a Pennsylvania specialty that features a hot dog wrapped in bacon, deep-fried and topped with cheese. Other popular items include the Southern Comfort Dog with chili and coleslaw; and Chicago Style Dog with mustard, relish, onions, tomatoes, sport peppers, pickle and celery salt.
Flexible Options
To build awareness and drive revenue for franchisees, John-nie's has developed multiple formats. A fast-casual unit, which ranges from 1,500 to 2,000 square feet, costs about $275,000 to $325,000. The company also offers express for-mats for food courts, as well as a kiosk and mobile van; invest-ment costs range from $40,000 to $100,000.
|
| Johnnie's Dog House features a 1940s look with red leather chairs, chrome accents, and an orange and red color scheme. |
To capture both families and business customers, Johnnie's locates the fast-casual units in endcaps or pad sites in suburban areas that have a mix of business and residential.
Smaller formats expose the brand to new customers. They can operate in nontraditional venues like airports and home improvement centers as well as cater special events.
New Horizons
Since Johnnie's launched its franchising program late in 2007, the company has signed agreements for 25 units. Franchisees opened four units in Washington, Colorado and Delaware in 2008. In 2009, they will open at least 12 in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, California, Florida and Texas.
The chain contends it could be in 1,000 locations in five years.
-
Before considering this franchise opportunity contact folks whom already got suckered in by the fraudulent statments of average income/profit numbers. this origanization is run by a bunch of con men. No franchisee has anything positive to say about their investment with this organization.
Brian Richards - 2009-17-9 11:54:00 MDT
