LENNY'S SUB SHOP: PHILLY CHEESESTEAK IS THE SANDWICH STAR AT FRANCHISE SHOP

LENNY'S SUB SHOP: PHILLY CHEESESTEAK IS THE SANDWICH STAR AT FRANCHISE SHOP

August 8, 2013

Jerrod Cravotto had a franchise
agreement in hand to open a second
Lenny's Sub Shop in Oklahoma when the
existing Tulsa store fell in his lap.
"I was in sales for 15 years and was a
regular customer here and used Lenny's
to cater sales meetings, so I was familiar
with the product," Cravotto said.
"When I got the OK for a franchise, I
came here to talk to the owner, Chris
(Brown), and he said he was involved in
doing some other things and would sell
me his, too.
"So I still have an extra franchise that I
plan to put somewhere in the Tulsa area."
The Lenny's in Fontana Shopping Center
was the first in Oklahoma when Brown
and his mother, Ginny, opened it almost
10 years ago, and it still is the only
Lenny's in the state.
Lenny's Sub Shop was founded by Len
Moore in Memphis, Tenn., in 1979. It
emphasized fresh ingredients and a
Philly cheesesteak sandwich Moore
brought from his native New Jersey.
The Philly cheesesteak ($6.55) was
among the three items we had on a
recent visit to the cozy, sun-drenched
dining room on the east side of the
shopping center. We also had a cold
Italian sub ($6.55) and a cold roast beefand
provolone-cheese sub ($6.45).
The Philly is the star of the hot
sandwiches - the restaurant's overall
best-seller, for that matter - and it was
loaded with sliced beef, grilled onions
and an American/Swiss cheese blend on
a soft, warm sub roll. The sandwich had
a saltiness that I found came from the
cheese when I checked the nutrition
information.
"The Philly is popular, but lately we can't
seem to make enough meatballs for the
hot meatball subs, too," Cravotto said.
Diners have the choice of about a dozen
items to add to their cold subs. We
added lettuce, olive oil, tomatoes,
pepper, mayo and pickles to the roast
beef that was stacked high with thin slices of beef, and it was a
winning combination.
The Italian included four meats - ham, prosciutto, capicola and
Genoa salami - along with provolone cheese. This one came
loaded with onions, lettuce, olive oil, tomatoes, salt, pepper,
oregano, pickles and hot pepper relish. The pickles and the hot
pepper relish, which was more flavorful than hot, helped give this
sandwich a pleasing, complex flavor.
The regular sub-roll sandwiches are 7 1/2 inches and have a halfpound
of meat and cheeses. The 15-inch large sandwiches have a
pound. The cold sandwiches also are available on a Kaiser roll,
with one-third pound of meats and cheeses, and cost a couple of
dollars less than the regular subs.
Among other items available are chicken salad, tuna salad, chef
salad, hot dog and fresh-baked cookies.
Specials include a regular sub (hot or cold) or salad, chips and
regular fountain drink for $8.80, and a Kaiser sandwich with chips
and regular drink for $6.60.
A menu for ages 10 and under has a turkey-and-cheese 
sub, ham-and-cheese sub, meatball sub or hot dog with 
chips and drink for $3.95.
Cravotto said Lenny's still handles catering jobs of all sizes.
"We deliver all over, as far away as reasonable," he said. "We
recently delivered a job to Fort Gibson and another at an oil rig
near Beggs.
"I was able to keep almost all of the employees when I took over,
and that has been a life-saver."

FORMER FEDEX VP BECOMES A TOP FRANCHISE OWNER

FORMER FEDEX VP BECOMES A TOP FRANCHISE OWNER

July 19, 2013

Edith Kelly-Green ranks as the largest multiple unit franchise owner for Lenny’s Sub Shop

In 2003, after some 25 years of service with FedEx,
Edith Kelly-Green entered into retirement. At the
time, the 50-year-old cancer survivor relished the
thought of having nothing to do.
“Which is what I did for about a year,” says the
former and first African American female vice
president and chief sourcing officer for Memphisbased
FedEx Express. It was while sitting in a
Starbucks and reading the paper that she learned a
local Lenny’s Sub Shop was for sale.
Kelly-Green’s daughter, Jayna, a college student at
the time and frequent patron of Lenny’s Sub Shop,
raved about the food and the concept.
Headquartered in Memphis, the franchise features
sliced to order submarine sandwiches and authentic Philadelphia-style cheesesteak sandwhiches. Kelly-Green
was looking for a way to create a legacy and ongoing wealth for her family. She made a phone call to inquire
about investing in the brand but ended up becoming a franchisee. Since she was financially secure, Kelly-Green
wasn’t seeking supplemental income when she acquired her first store in 2005 in Oxford, Mississippi, her
hometown.
Today, she is the largest multi-unit franchise owner of Lenny’s Sub Shop. Over a period of six years, Kelly-
Green purchased 10 Lenny’s Sub Shops in Memphis and in Oxford. Her shops average annual sales revenues
between $350,000 and $1.2 million. She currently runs her stores—two of which consistently rank in the top 5%
of all Lenny’s Sub Shop locations across the country—with her two sons, James Kelly and Ryan Green. In
addition, she served as one of five franchisees with a seat on Lenny’s advisory board until 2012. And Green was
the first ever recipient of the Black Enterprise Small Business Award for Franchise Owner of the Year when the
new category was added to the mix for 2013 to reflect growing opportunities for minorities in franchising.
Kelly-Green is in a unique position as a multiple unit franchise owner. African Americans are 30% less likely to
be multi-unit operators. Of all African America franchisees, 78% are single-unit owners and 22% are multi-unit
owners versus 70% single-unit and 30% multi-unit owners for all franchisees. A single-unit franchisee is a person
who owns one store and is responsible for the day-to-day operations whereas a multi-unit franchisee is an
owner of multiple stores that are typically sold at a reduced rate per unit.
Right from the start, Kelly-Green knew she didn’t want to be a single location owner.
“I wanted to own at least 10 stores. That was my objective,” she recalls. Her training as a CPA has been
invaluable; she knows how to account for every penny of the business as well as handle payroll and sales taxes.
Her background working with FedEx’s supply chain also proved useful in handling vendors, understanding
purchasing, and reducing costs.
Kelly-Green’s recipe for success and ability to scale has been partnering. She partnered with Marlin Harris in
eight Lenny’s locations until his death in 2009. When the two first met, Harris owned six stores, with different
partners. Not only was he one of the original employees hired by Lenny’s founder Len Moore, but he also was
Moore’s partner in the first three stores during Lenny’s startup phase. In 2005, Kelly-Green and Harris first
bought a Lenny’s Sub Shop at Memphis International Airport. Then in 2006, Kelly-Green bought out Harris’
other partners to acquire ownership in six additional stores.
“He had experience running the store,” she explains. “It made sense to combine his operational skills with my
skills in human resources and finance.”
The following year the partners opened their first store from scratch.
“It was a great location; probably one of the best-looking stores in the neighborhood, near the university
[University of Memphis],” she says. “But when the economy went down [during the Great Recession] we felt it.
People were eating at home and going to cheaper places.”
She adds the store has its ups and downs but is profitable. The franchisee also runs concessions for Memphis’
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium and Fairgrounds.
“Each store has its own personality; profitability is a function of your location, market, and employees,” notes
that 60-year-old franchisee.
Kelly-Green notes that much of her training at FedEx focused on customer service. Transferrable skills and
philosophy: hire the right employees, provide them with the right training, and ensure employees are
customer-oriented. Happy customers are repeat customers.
“That generates sales and incremental revenues. That is how you get a return as an owner.”
She adds that the decision to open more Lenny’s Sub Shop stores is dependent upon three things: personality,
profile, and profitability of a particular shop’s location. “As a family we are evaluating opportunities in our
current franchise and other brands,” she adds. So, “we may diversify our portfolio.”

Dining on a Dime: Lenny's Sub Shop Kaiser roll sandwiches less expensive option

DINING ON A DIME: LENNY'S SUB SHOP KAISER ROLL SANDWICHES LESS EXPENSIVE

July 16, 2013

JACKSON, MI – Every other week Rene Wheaton visits a Jackson-area
restaurant in search of good deals for those looking to dine out without
breaking their budget:

Restaurant: Lenny’s Sub Shop

Address: 133 W. Michigan Ave., Suite B, located behind Swan Creek
Candle Company

Phone: 517-782-2444

Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and Saturday;
10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday; and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Online: Lennys.com

What I had: While I love Lenny’s Chicken Philly sub, I often feel like
it’s more than I should be eating. That’s why I was glad to have one of
their new offerings on a Kaiser bun. I got a roast beef sandwich and an
iced tea. It was still a large sandwich and plenty filling.

Cost: The sandwich was $4.75 and the drink $1.75.

Other deals: Lenny’s offers 12 sandwiches served on a Kaiser bun,
including the classic and the veggie sandwich for $3.95.

Tasty Tidbits: Lenny’s often offers deals through social media. If you
are a fan of their food, liking its Facebook page could save you some
cash.

Origins: The first Lenny’s Sub Shop opened in 1998 in Memphis, Tenn.
The Jackson location is just one of three in Michigan, with the others
located in Lansing and Warren. The chain is much more common in the
south and has yet to spread to the northeast or far west regions of the
United States.