CEREALITY BITES: University of Pennsylvania Cereal Cafe Closes

(FranchisePick.Com)  Related Reading:

Snapped, Crackled & Flopped: RIP State College Cereality

 The Cereality Franchise Dead Pool: VOTE NOW!

Cereality Franchise Closes in 3 Months; Breaks Previous Record

How ‘Bout a Stone Cold Bowl of Reality?,  Reality, Surreality & Cereality

University of Pennsylvania students are supposed to be some of the smartest in the country.  It only took them 4 years to realize that they didn’t need to pay $6 for a bowl for Capt. Crunch.  It’s true:  the Cereality Cereal Cafe at UPenn, the last PA outlet, has sunk to the bottom of the entrepreneurial bowl like so much shredded wheat.

Who could have guessed?  A cereal cafe that didn’t make it?  When I called Cereality (215-222-1162) to place a take-out order for a bowl of Coco Puffs, the Cereality answering machine broke the news:  the West Philly branch is no longer open for business.

What a shocker!  When the much-hyped cereal cafe concept was first introduced, several people exclaimed:  “Why has no one done this before?” 

I guess we have the answer.

This leaves one franchised cafe location in California, one university food court location in Arizona, and a handful that were put inside Cold Stone Creamery locations under the “Two Wrongs Might Make a Right” program from parent Kahala Bad Ideas in Bowls Corp.

 

Related Sponge Bob dialogue:

SPONGE BOB:  I once had a dream.

MR. CRABS:  I once had a kidney stone.  Everything passes.

 

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Tanworld’s Bob McQuillen: Overview of the Tanworld Franchise Opportunity

Bob McQuillen is the consummate franchise professional, with many years of experience both as a franchise development executive and as a tanning salon franchise owner.  So when FranBest recently learned that Bob had relocated from the East Coast to the tropics of Nebraska to join a fast-growing franchise company called Tanworld, we knew that something was cooking.

We caught up with Bob recently, and he agreed to give us the insider’s tour of the Tanworld franchise opportunity.  This is the first in a series of interviews exploring all aspects of the Tanworld franchise program, from branding to marketing, from the franchise owner requirements to the support programs that help them build their businesses.

FranBest:  Bob, thanks for taking the time to give us a glimpse into what must be the tanning industry’s best-kept secret.

McQuillan:  Thanks for the opportunity.  Tanworld really is a best-kept secret, but that’s about to change. I’ve been in the franchising and tanning industries for years, and know that truly innovative concepts don’t come along that often.  When I saw the bold approach that Tanworld was taking, saw the quality of the management team and their commitment to revolutionizing the industry, I knew I wanted to be part of it.

FranBest:  How do you describe the Tanworld franchise concept?

McQuillan:  The strategy that drives and defines the Tanworld concept is threefold. The first is to create a WOW factor at the consumer level… to provide our members with a superior and unique tanning environment and tanning experience that they can’t get anywhere else.

The second is to provide that exceptional experience at an affordable price… to create a spa-quality experience that’s affordable for middle class as well as upper class markets.   The third is to continually provide the systems, procedures and guidance our salon owners – who we call our franchise partners - need to build their businesses with increasing efficiency and effectiveness.

Tanworld has joined forces with the industry’s top manufacturers and industry leaders in order to position itself as the elite tanning concept, offered at a price point that provides a high-perceived value and fits most tanning consumer’s budgets.  That’s not an easy feat to accomplish, but Tanworld is doing it.

How did the Tanworld concept start?
Tanworld was started by Cheri and Frank Cosgrove in 1995.  They wanted to meet the need for an upscale tanning salon environment that offered a price point that was acceptable even in a blue-collar or middle income type of market.

The consumer response was so strong, and they had so many inquiries from customers expressing an interest to open their own Tanworld salons that Cheri & Frank launched the Tanworld franchise program in 1997.

Is the Tanworld chain growing?  Where are you looking to expand?
Definitely.  We have 53 Tanworld franchise salons up and running and another 65 under contract and in development.  In terms of demographics, our concept does well in a wide variety of area, ranging from low-middle income to high-income households. Our scope for expansion is North America.  We have a highly experienced, aggressive team, so we are capable of maintaining an energetic and ambitious growth development schedule.

NEXT:  The Tanworld Brand

How NOT to Impersonate a Franchise Attorney Online

(FranchisePick.Com)  Related reading:  IS SILVER MINE SUBS A GREAT FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY?

As the famous cartoon said, on the Internet, no one knows you’re a dog.  However, they can usually tell that you’re not really a franchise attorney.  

Unhappy franchisees or weasely ex-employees leaving comments for revenge tend to give themselves away.

Why don’t they believe you when you used those big words and all?

Here’s a recent example with some important tips for those who want the credibility of being an attorney, but don’t like all the boring reading, book lernin’ and test-taking of law school.

On a post about the evil sub overlord Quiznos Sub (Quiznos Franchise Lawsuits Just Keep On Coming), probable shill Jeff  left a hearty endorsement for the Silver Mine Subs franchise, claiming it’s a gold mine.  Steve claimed it was more akin to the Springhill Mine Disaster and that any prospective franchisees considering it would get the shaft.

Writes suspected poser Steve:    “I know of which i speak having provided franchise legal counsel to an individual who considered purchasing a Silver Mine.”

He cites the fact that Silver Mine Subs recently “closed a corporate store in Boulder, CO and a corporate store in Champain [sic], IL.” and that “… to close a store directly across the street from a large undergraduate university for lack of business seems counterintuitive, and it certainly seems hypocritical given that they see no problem with placing franchise stores close to one another in the city of Denver.”

Says Steve:  “They have no key differentiators that can’t be replicated easily by the competition… anyone considering a Silver Mine Subs is better off working in one of their stores for three months and then opening their own sub shop rather than going the franchising route.”

“‘Every business makes mistake [sic] in the beginning,’ And who pays for those mistake [sic]? Not the franchisor.”

“Good luck with your store and i hope it works out for you. I’d suggest you think twice before promoting your franchise, lest you find yourself not being able to sleep at night.   As for the ‘non-compete’ — good luck enforcing that in a court of law.”

Steve almost immediately discredits his claim that he’s an attorney – or at least a competent one.

First, no attorney would (publicly) tell a bunch of strangers to take a job for a particularly deficient franchise concept, then start a new business that directly violates its non-compete and non-disclosure agreements. A decent attorney would know that it wouldn’t really matter if SMS could win in court, it would be enough to tie up the new owner in legal proceedings and divert his money and attention from his new business, which would then likely fail. And for what?  Procedural information from a flawed concept?

Second, I would hope that an attorney would check his own spelling before attacking that of others (It’s Champaign, IL).  Using big words like “Counterintuitive” does not impress when they’re used incorrectly.  Put the thesaurus away.

Third, and most importantly, are the references to motives being “hypocritical” and references to the danger of “not being able to sleep at night.” There is a basic divide between the franchise initiated and uninitiated, and Jeff is still the former.  Attorneys deal with matters of law, of actionable or non-actionable, proveable or non-proveable, not matters of conscience. In fact, the organ responsible for conscience, which sometimes remains functional in non-lawyers, is surgically removed within 8 days of passing the bar exam in a procedure resembling the Jewish bris.

Jeff’s emotional tone, in-depth knowledge and angry grammatical attacks suggest that this is personal. My guess is he is either 1) an angry ex-employee with an pickaxe to grind, 2) an angry ex-franchisee who did more due diligence after failing than before buying, or 3) an independent competitor. 

The smart money’s on Door Number 2

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IS SILVER MINE SUBS A GREAT FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY?

  (FranchisePick.Com) 

An enthusiastic recommendation for the Silver Mine Subs franchise appeared on a post about the much-maligned Quiznos Sub franchise (Quiznos Franchise Lawsuits Just Keep On Coming). 

Jeff claims that he’s a multiple unit owner of the small franchised sub chain, and heartily recommends buying one.

Jeff writes:  You should have bought a Silver Mine Subs. We are working on a 3rd location. Areas are protected, so no worries about someone building right on top of you. My family has worked hard to create the new store model and this has been a very prosperous venture for us. I highly recommend this franchise.

Less than 24 hours later, Steve comments that he’s a lawyer who researched Silver Mine Subs for a client, and thinks there’s not only no silver in the mine, but that it’s caving in.

Steve writes:  I’ve heard of Silver Mine Subs. If they are as great as you say there are, why did i hear they are selling off all of their corporate stores and closed two corporate stores in the last three years? Their UFOC shows multiple transfers with only a small pool of stores in the system. Those stores only work next to college campuses.

What’s the real story behind Silver Mine Subs?  Are you familiar with its franchise program?  Have you eaten there?

ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH SILVER MINE SUBS? 

ARE FRANCHISEES LIKELY TO GET A GOLD MINE… OR THE SHAFT? 

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Photo Credit:  Historic reproduction of the Mr. GoldMine! franchise advertisement circa 1880 from the FranWorst.com Archives, Richard Quick, Esq. Collection.  Used by permission.

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What Is The State Of Business Start-Ups?

Creative Franchise Marketing? Or Desperation?

COFFEE BEANERY: Exec’s Cone-viction Leads to Franchisee Victory Part 2

(FranchisePick.Com) Don’t miss: COFFEE BEANERY: Secret Justice Franchisee Interview Part 1, COFFEE BEANERY: Secret Justice Franchisee Interview Part 2

In COFFEE BEANERY: Exec’s Trafficing Conviction Leads to Franchisee Legal Win Part 1, I recounted how Coffee Beanery V.P. Kevin Shaw’s dalliance into the secet underworld of blackmarket traffic cones had come back to bite him right in the crosswalk. As I was accused of “silliness” on this serious subject, I’ll try not to yield to my childish fascination with traffic cone trafficing and get to the serious lesson for you, the prospective franchise buyer.

The Coffee Cone-undrum Begins

In 2003, Deborah Williams and Richard Welshans (who are alternatively described as married, “significant others,” and/or both) were, by their own descriptions, highly successful corporate executives. Deborah was VP of Operations for a large corporation; Richard had 18 years experience in industrial sales not related to traffic cones. They were financially secure, with $600,000 in equity in a million-dollar house on an expertly paved street.

When Richard lost his job due to downsizing, the couple decided to start a business. “We just wanted a little coffee shop… we just wanted a little franchiseable coffee shop, like a little Cheers-type place,” says Deborah in a videotaped interview. “We started looking for different franchisors. Our first choice, of course, was Starbucks.”

Starbucks doesn’t offer franchises, so they became interested in a Coffee Beanery franchise. During the sales process, Coffee Beanery salespeople and Kevin “King Cone” Shaw allegedly detoured the couple toward their Cafe concept. Shaw and his crew advised the couple that they’d be better off opening a Coffee Beanery Cafe, their strip-center concept that included a food menu, rather than the coffee and beverage-based mall concept the franchisees had planned to open.

Franchisees Detoured to Dead End Cafe Concept

Williams and Welshans allege that they were led to believe the Cafe was a proven concept (when it wasn’t), that they were told they’d make $125,000 profit, and that critical details involving vendor rebates and Kevin Shaw’s grand larceny cone-viction were withheld from them. Had they known Kevin Shaw was a card carrying member of the TCPS, and was reputedly tied to the radical Cone Liberation Organization (CLO) there’s no way they would have purchased a Coffee Beanery franchise. Had that required info been disclosed, Richard and Deborah would surely be successful Cuppy’s Coffee franchise owners right now.

They opened their Coffee Beanery Cafe in January, 2004 in Annapolis, MD. In a second video interview posted at UnhappyFranchisee.com, Deborah Williams says “three months into the franchise, we realized something was wrong. Money was running out like it was going through a sieve. We hired an attorney. We also filed a complaint with the Maryland Attorney General’s office here in Maryland…”

Instead of being able to focus on building their coffee business, Williams and Welshans spent the next fours years battling their franchisor. They filed a demand for arbitration. They withdrew their demand for arbitration. They filed a complaint in the District Court of Maryland. They won the right to have their franchise agreement rescinded, but declined it. Coffee Beanery filed a demand for arbitration. The franchisees lost the arbitration. They appealed the judgement that they lost and lost again. They appealed to the District Court of Maryland, and Maryland overturned the arbitration ruling against the franchisees.

Hooray! They won! What did they win?

Hooray! They won! What did they win? After four years, they won the right to sue the Coffee Beanery for the same stuff they claimed in the arbitration. They won the right to plead their case in a real court of law, with a real jury and a real judge with robes and possibly a gavel. Woo-hoo!

And the lesson here is…? 

The first lesson is that one should be very, very diligent in researching the franchise organization that one joins because the cards are stacked against the franchisee in the event of a dispute. Here Williams and Welshans are celebrating a win, and after four years all they’ve won is the right to spend more money on more years of bad moods and aggravation. While they clearly have valid complaints, they’ll never get awarded enough money to get back the time they lost and the toll it took.

They wanted a little coffee shop. Annapolis, apparently, didn’t.

But there’s a more fundamental question that sticks out like an orange thumb:

Didn’t the franchisees make their most critical mistake before they ever came in contact with the Coffee Beanery?

Wasn’t the franchisee’s first and most critical mistake being motivated by the romantic notion of themselves as proprietors of an upscale Cheers-Meets-Starbucks coffee shop, and failing to begin their planning process with a strategic business and market strategy?

Doesn’t the real problem start with Deborah’s statement ““We just wanted a little coffee shop…”

Shouldn’t they have first asked Annapolis if it needed – or wanted – a little coffee shop?

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Franchisees, customers & experts vote for their favorite new franchises at Top New Franchise: Who’s hot. Who’s not.

Tags: cafe, COFFEE BEANERY, coffee franchise, deborah williams, franchise, joanne shaw, kevin shaw, richard welshans

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CUPPY’S COFFEE: Ft. Walton Employees Sent Packing

(FranchisePick.Com)  This week marks the end of the shared vision for creating a progressive, family-oriented Cuppy’s Coffee corporate office in Ft. Walton Beach, complete with on-site daycare.  

For some it’s the end of a dream… for others, just the shattering of an illusion.

Either way, many Cuppy’s employees Dale Nabors isn’t going out of his way to thank former employees for their service.  According to one employee:  “”all they have right now are pissed off people.”

Cuppy’s Coffee employees get to celebrate both the end of an era and an end to their employment this week by serving as the packing crew for the corporate move to Muscle Shoals, AL. 

Among the comments, complaints and rumors voiced recently from multiple sources:

• “Dale has not shown his face at the office or returned any e-mails from employees in a couple weeks.”
• “Last week the O Drive was locked down (O Drive is where all data is stored for all employees to use).
• “Dale said he would post jobs for the employees not asked to move to AL so they could apply for them, but never did.”
• “If employees intend to draw unemployment they are required to pack the offices Thursday and Friday.”
• “all they have right now are pissed off people.”

The complaints come on the heels of FranSynergy and Cuppy’s Coffee owner Dale Nabors’ alienation of the American Association of Franchisees & Dealers (AAFD), and amidst complaints from franchisees that DN does not return their calls or respond to emails.

Meanwhile, more franchise “depositers” who were unable to get financing are emerging with allegations that Cuppy’s Coffee refuses or is unable to return their deposits of $40K and up.  Meanwhile, other franchisees are struggling to get or stay open.

While Dale Nabors hopes to leave a lot of Cuppy’s Coffee baggage behind in Florida, he’s taking plenty of baggage with him back home to Alabammy.

Photo licensed under Creative Commons.  Photo credit: SideShowMom

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You Really Want To Work For Someone Else?

Green Franchising In Houston: More Money!

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