Franchisee Spotlight: Joe Caravella

Q: Where are you from?

A: I was born and raised in Tampa.  I went to Plant High School – Class of 1979.

Q: What was your career before franchising?

A: I worked for the local police department for 25 years.  My sister and brother-in-law are also police officers. 

Q: How did you learn about the brand?

A: My son was a Lenny’s employee, and the location became for sale.  It was in our neighborhood, and my wife and I were already looking to open a restaurant.  When we learned more about the corporate side of Lenny’s, we really liked the opportunity structure and corporate philosophy.  When my wife and I had the chance to meet and talk with the CEO, George, Alvord, we were sold. 

Q: Why did you decide to open your own business?

A: My wife and I wanted to restructure some of our capital assets.  She was a schoolteacher at Lewis Elementary in Temple Terrace, FL (a suburb of Tampa) for many years in our community, and I wanted to put my pension to work and have our family involved in a business.  We have nine family members working in the store, including my wife, her mother, three nieces and my son.  We look at the store as more than a financial opportunity; it’s a social skills opportunity for our family. In addition, it helps the young ones learn and maintain business skills.  Specifically, my wife and I are helping them understand bookkeeping, management skills and customer service skills to them so they can survive later in life.  We have a good work ethic and we want to show them that success involves family work and service to people, which aligns with my work as police officer and my wife’s work as a school teacher. 

Q: When choosing a franchise, what were the criteria you used to make your decision?

A: We had already been looking to start our own restaurant and had a business broker. It was going to be a big restaurant in Temple Terrace with a 1920’s theme that served fresh sandwiches.  However, I was quickly convinced to become a Lenny’s franchisee after talking to Lenny’s CEO.  He had good family values and was interested in my wife and me.  Plus, Lenny’s food is not pre-made; it is very fresh, which aligned to the type of restaurant we already wanted to run.

Q: With regard to your previous experience, what skills do you feel helped you in your business?

A: At its core, police work involves serving others beyond oneself, as does teaching.  We bring this outlook to our business in serving our customers.

Q: How does your business connect with the community?

A: We are both on the board of directors of our local Italian Club, and my wife is on the Krewe of Italia.  We sponsor local community organizations and believe in giving back.

Q: What are some of your achievements (professionally or personally) that you think will help you along the way in your business?

A: I have always felt that anybody from any walk of life deserves our attention and care. No matter who you are, when you walk into our store, you are our number one priority and guest.  We love to entertain at home, and that’s what we are doing at work as well!

Franchisee Spotlight: Chris White & Derrick Crandall

Chris White was born and raised in Ft. Walton Beach, FL. At the age of 16, he started working as a dishwasher for IHOP and worked his way up to become the general manager. He has worked with IHOP for 16 years.

Derrick Crandall started working for his brother, Chris White, at an IHOP and quickly moved his way up to an assistant manager position. He also worked for Cracker Barrel in Tennessee before returning to IHOP in Florida to work as a general manager.

Together, Chris and Derrick have a total of 28 years of experience in the food industry.

How did you learn about the brand?

For the past five years my brother and I had been looking for a business we could open together. We did a lot of research, and after my brother had tried Lenny’s in Fort Walton, he was instantly hooked. He told me about the restaurant and we knew this was an opportunity we’d be interested in.

What was appealing to you about choosing an opportunity with Lenny’s?

The support and backing of Lenny’s corporate is very helpful and unmatched in the industry. Since we both come from the restaurantbusiness, we know how important having leverage on contracts can be, and being a part of a franchise system definitely gives us that leverage. Lenny’s has been like a family to us and we couldn’t be happier working with them.

What makes your business different?

The Lenny’s product and the customer service we provide are unrivaled in the area. Also, with the experience my brother and I share, we have what it takes to be very successful with the concept.

What challenges have you overcome to get where you are now?

Acquiring the business has been a lot harder than we thought it would be. It took us about a year and a half to get bank approval with the way the economy is. We have also had a lot of construction issues as well. It’s just important to stay positive and we’re excited to open and serve the community.

What are your expansion or development plans?

We plan on opening five stores in the next five years. We would like to purchase more locations in Georgia and would love to be able to eventually open up to 15-20 locations total.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies or passions?

We both love to be outdoors and play sports – we love golf!

Catering With Lenny's

For the Perfect Mix of Food & Fun! 

Lenny's box lunches and party platters are the perfect solution for everything from office meetings, employee appreciation events, and conventions to tailgating and holiday or birthday parties. From 1 to 1,000 people, we can accommodate any sized gathering you may have. 

Joseph C. from Deerfield Beach, FL recently had this to say:

"Had an amazing experience with Lenny's of Deerfield beach, FL. Catering was a hit for a meeting we held at my job, only remnants of lettuce remained."

Check out our website for more catering info by clicking HERE. If you don't see exactly what you're looking for, let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you. We have many years of catering experience and have catered everything from light luncheons to large dinners. Give us a call. We want to be a part of your next gathering! 

Positivity

We take pride in many things at Lenny's, from the fresh products to the satisfied customers. Still, one of the things we're most proud of is our high standard of customer service and the outstanding employees that make it possible. The internet makes it easy and convenient for complaints, but we're often taken back and touched when people go to great lengths to give a compliment. We feel that praise deserves to be heard, not for us, but for the employees who represented themselves in such upstanding ways. We're proud of you.

From Shop #49 in Memphis, TN:

"I am filling out this comment card to send some due recognition to the PM staff. During my visit tonight, another customer was being extremely rude to the employees preparing her food - to the point that other customers were looking around at each other shocked. Rather than respond harshly (or worse, as we all wanted to do), they continued to give her the same level of service they give every other customer and did what they could do to diffuse the situation while she continued to pepper them with rude comments. I was impressed by their professionalism and the manner in which they treated her with infinitely more respect than she gave tot hem or than she deserved. Their manager/owner/operator deserved to know that quality people are running the store on the PM shift in particular."

From Facebook in regards to Shop #350 in Ft. Walton Beach, FL:

"The other day, I was on my way home from the grocery store, and I saw an older woman pulled over. Then, I noticed the kind stranger who had pulled behind her to change her tire. I wasn't surprised to see it was the local Lenny's vehicle, since the employees there are some of the nicest people I've come across, but I was impressed. I was a little surprised when I saw that it was he owner of my favorite two shops. No wonder everyone there is so incredibly kind. It starts at the top."

New Lenny's in Tallahassee, FL

Lenny's is excited to announce a new opening on Feb. 7, 2013 in Tallahassee, Florida.

Franchiser Chris White, just 33 years old, is opening the location with his two business partners: his 29 year old brother and his 84 year old grandfather. All three have a history in restaurants, but when they came together to open a business, found they had a difference of opinions.

Chris wanted wings, but his brother was working for a pancake chain at the time. Their biggest concern was the quality and taste of a product they wanted to believe in. There was a Lenny's near his brother's work that they happened to try together and were blown away. They easily sold their grandfather on the idea of opening a Lenny's and the rest is history to be made!

With the economy bouncing back and returning increase of patronage at dining establishments, Chris and his family are eager to open next week. With the rest of their extended family surrounding the Tallahassee are, this is sure to be a successful family affair for quite some time.

Lenny's Sub Show featured in The Destin Log

Lenny’s Sub Shop was recently featured in The Destin Log, in an article titled “SANDWICH SUMMIT: Lenny’s to host discovery day for potential owners.” The article features Lenny’s president, Brent Alvord, who discussed the advantages of investing in a sub franchise during a trying economic time period. On Aug. 9, Lenny’s will host a discovery day in Destin, Fla., for anyone interested in becoming a franchisee of the brand, giving an opportunity for entrepreneurs across the Southeast to learn what it takes to run one of the chain’s restaurants. Alvord said the purpose is to build brand awareness, and to let entrepreneurs know that this avenue of business ownership will allow them to “make money while having fun interacting with guests and building relationships.”

SANDWICH SUMMIT: Lenny's to host discovery day for potential owners
By: Katy Houghton

Lenny’s Sub Shop chain president Brent Alvord will be in Destin to personally show people another way to invest and earn money.

“In these times, people are still worried about the economy with the stock market going up and down,” he said. “But there is the option of jumping into a chain franchise and earn a 28 percent return on an investment versus 2 percent in a savings account.”

Boasting authentic Philly cheese steaks and the deli fresh experience, Lenny’s Sub Shop will host a discovery day at TOPS’L Beach and Racquet Resort on Aug. 9 for anyone interested in becoming a sub shop franchisee from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

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