{"id":5729,"date":"2021-03-21T14:34:38","date_gmt":"2021-03-21T18:34:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/responseblog.wpengine.com\/?page_id=5729"},"modified":"2022-10-21T16:40:20","modified_gmt":"2022-10-21T20:40:20","slug":"case-study-sandellas-flatbread-cafe","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/responseblog.wpengine.com\/case-study-sandellas-flatbread-cafe\/","title":{"rendered":"Case Study: Sandella’s Flatbread Cafe"},"content":{"rendered":"

EXPERIENCE:<\/strong>\u00a0 Building and growing a new restaurant brand for non-traditional locations<\/p>\n

SITUATION:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sandella’s was established in 1994 as a Tuscan themed, fast casual cafe with just one location.\u00a0 The concept quickly grew to 10 company-owned locations in just 5 years, then grew to 25 locations by 2001 through franchising.\u00a0 \u00a0Due to the intense competition (among quick service and fast casual concepts) for great operators and great locations, and the 9\/11 attacks (which resulted in the closing of multiple locations in NYC) Sandella’s growth slowed.<\/p>\n

The brand had fantastic food, but needed to pivot to re-energize growth.\u00a0 As a result, the company looked to the non-traditional market.\u00a0 The first opportunity came by partnering with Lackmann Culinary Services with a location at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York.\u00a0 \u00a0At the time, we had re-engineered the concept to fit in very small spaces (50 – 150 square feet) using equipment that didn’t need ventilation, which increased the range of location options.\u00a0 Adelphi put a branded Sandella’s store into an under-utilized space in their student center.\u00a0 That unit did the same volume our stores were doing on the corner of main and main– the students loved it!<\/p>\n

Here’s what Bob Godabon Lackmann Culinary Services Foodservice Director at Adelphi said about Sandella’s:<\/p>\n

Sandella\u2019s branded Wrap & Pizza program literally transformed a 50 square foot area in Adelphi University\u2019s cafeteria.\u00a0\u00a0Sandella\u2019s supplied the merchandising and we used existing equipment– so our only investment was in purchasing Sandella\u2019s Flat Bread and Sauces.\u00a0\u00a0We went from selling a few pretzels to selling an average of 150 Sandella\u2019s Wraps & Pizzas a day.\u00a0\u00a0Sandella\u2019s is a hit on campus with us and, more importantly, with the students!<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We thought we were onto something, then proved it when we did a deal with Compass Group\/Chartwells at Louisiana State University.\u00a0 That unit did triple the volume of Adelphi.\u00a0 It was so successful they added a second unit to the campus within the year.<\/p>\n

David Pratka Chartwells Foodservice Director at Louisiana State University said this after installing a Sandella’s,<\/p>\n

At LSU we offer students a variety of branded concepts.\u00a0\u00a0We had three Pizza Hut Express units on campus.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0One unit was not performing to our expectations.\u00a0\u00a0We decided to change that unit over to Sandella\u2019s.\u00a0\u00a0Since there was no capital expenditure it was a quick and easy choice for us.\u00a0\u00a0Within weeks we had the unit converted.\u00a0\u00a0Sales started at approximately $1,000\/day and have been steadily growing ever since.\u00a0\u00a0We are thrilled with the student\u2019s response to the program.\u00a0\u00a0And, it is surpassing our sales expectations.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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REASONS SANDELLA’S, A BRANDED CONCEPT, WORKED IN NON-TRADITIONAL LOCATIONS:<\/strong><\/p>\n