Introduction
With 97 successfully functioning units, the Vocelli Pizza franchise is a growing franchise brand. Since 1997, the company has been delivering restaurant services and has acquired the popularity and loyalty of thousands of tourists in the United States (Miller & Washington, 2022). Vocelli Pizza restaurant franchise opportunities are available due to its high-quality, distinctive Italian cuisine, which includes pizzas, fresh, made-to-order strombolis, panini subs, and wings (Miller & Washington, 2022). Furthermore, a professional staff shares, teaches, and supports their franchisees.
Company History
The Founder’s Biography
The Vocelli Journey began in the mining community where founder Varol Ablak was born in Zonguldak, Turkey. Varol spent much of his childhood moving from one mining town to another as his father followed the work as a mining engineer. The Ablak family traveled worldwide throughout this adventure, arriving in the United States in 1969. Ultimately, the family relocated to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Varol had intended to pursue a career in engineering like his father.
Still, after completing three years of college at the University of Pittsburgh’s industrial engineering department, he changed his mind. He dropped out of college to pursue a more fulfilling career, as he wanted to create his own business and was driven by an entrepreneurial spirit. One that would not subject him to a job transfer or a corporate firing. His employment washing dishes for a neighborhood pizza restaurant in Biloxi, Mississippi, resulted from that hunt (Miller & Washington, 2022). Varol became obsessed with the pizza industry and the thrill of success that came with having a dedicated staff.
Early Entrepreneurial Ventures in Louisiana
At 24, Varol established his first company, an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet chain, in the New Orleans neighborhood of Chalmette, Louisiana. Due to the company’s success, Varol’s father, Harry, and his family relocated from Pittsburgh to New Orleans to learn more about the pizza industry. In less than a year, Varol and his father in Covington, Louisiana, extended the family business by opening a second location.
Commitment to High-Quality Ingredients and Recipes in Pittsburgh
The father-son combination cherished working together and growing their enterprises. Still, with the pizza delivery market exploding, they intended to return to Pittsburgh and start a new company specializing in delivery and far better pizza (Miller & Washington, 2022). Varol and Harry closed their two businesses in Louisiana and returned to Pittsburgh, bringing their newly acquired knowledge with them.
Varol struggled to produce his high-quality recipes and used the best ingredients he could find to make his new items. A freshly packed, rarely used pizza sauce serves as the foundation for pizza recipes. Preservatives are never utilized; the tomatoes are hastily picked from Californian farmlands and processed within six hours after being packed.
The finest spring wheat is used to make the dough, which is then combined with extra virgin olive oil. Fresh, never-frozen, all-natural Wisconsin cheese is 100% mozzarella (Miller & Washington, 2022). Additionally, Varol makes all his gourmet pizzas from scratch, following family recipes.
Expansion and Focus on Team Development in Pittsburgh
Varol and his family built the first store in Mt. Lebanon, a suburb of Pittsburgh, on January 30, 1988. They opened a second facility in McMurray the same year and the third one in Oakland a few months later. Twenty eateries are expected to open in the Pittsburgh region over the next four years. The little business was rapidly on the road to success thanks to a concentration on delivering high-quality pizza and an aggressive marketing strategy.
Some of Varol’s team members started approaching him with requests because, similar to him a decade earlier, they recognized the opportunity for success and freedom as business owners. They desired to collaborate with Varol and gain from his achievements. Working with other business owners was an opportunity he could not pass up (Miller & Washington, 2022). Varol recognized that the key ingredient in the most crucial recipe was the people, such as the CEO of the new firm.
Franchise Requirements
Financial Requirements for Franchisees
It is also worth mentioning the franchise offered by the company. To purchase a franchise with Vocelli Pizza, an individual needs an initial capital of at least $100,000 in liquid assets and ongoing payments of $30,000 (Miller & Washington, 2022). Franchisees must have a minimum net worth of $250,000 and can budget between $156,000 and $330,900 for their overall investment (Miller & Washington, 2022).
In addition, franchisors make a significant contribution to the franchisee’s successful opening of their store. Franchisors do this through training, advertising, and renting convenient equipment for startups. The original franchise length of the agreement is ten years from the date the business welcomes its first customers (Miller & Washington, 2022). Additionally, the franchisor assigns one of its representatives to the franchisee during the opening week for a period of no more than four days at its own expense. This is required to assist the manager and the franchisee in holding the grand opening and managing and promoting the restaurant in the market.
A franchisor can be a person or a business that authorizes a third party to run one or more of their firm’s branches in a particular area. The franchisor owns the company’s rights and trademarks, which permit franchisees to use them to launch and grow successful enterprises. As a result, the franchisor performs the following key responsibilities to ensure the business thrives. First, recruiting qualified franchisees is necessary because their success depends on their caliber (Miller & Washington, 2022). Therefore, franchisors must be willing to invest time, money, and effort in locating the best candidates.
Support and Training Provided by the Franchisor
Second, by offering a top-notch business model, franchisors may ensure their franchisees have access to everything they need to operate successfully under the brand. This guideline is always in effect. When they find their initial franchisees, it is useless to set up a successful company strategy only to let it lapse over time (Miller & Washington, 2022). Key components, including an operational manual, equipment, signage, marketing materials, and assistance with business development, are typically included in franchise investment packages.
Franchisor Responsibilities for Ongoing Success
Third, regardless of how comprehensive the initial training program is, the franchisor must provide first-rate ongoing support. Additionally, the chance to advance their talents in all facets of business ownership is one of the benefits of franchising for franchisees (Miller & Washington, 2022). Franchisors generally provide training programs in human resources management, business planning, and marketing because they want their investors to operate to the best of their abilities.
Furthermore, franchisors are accountable for maintaining quality standards across the franchise network, safeguarding their brand, and guaranteeing consistency between locations. Lastly, a franchisor’s most significant duty is to consider the company’s future while assisting franchisees in expanding their units (Miller & Washington, 2022). The brand owner must be driven by long-term goals rather than short-term gains; otherwise, investors can feel underwhelmed.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Vocelli Pizza franchise can be an excellent investment for franchisees wishing to enter the food sector. The startup costs are modest, and a vast potential consumer base exists. Furthermore, pizza franchises can potentially generate a substantial amount of recurring business. Similarly, a franchisor can offer a franchisee an operating system that includes brand policies and recipes, comprehensive training, vendor contracts, store build-out procedures, trade dress, websites, social media, and all necessary marketing support; hence, the investment is worthwhile.
Reference
Miller, R. K., & Washington, K. (2022). Restaurant, Food & Beverage Market Research: 2022. Google Books. Web.