PAPA-N-SON’S Franchise: A Father’s Day Tale
Last week I launched a feature called OpporTUESDAY, where I invited franchise companies to unashamedly brag about their franchise opportunities by leaving a 100-word comment and a link to their website.
As I clicked through the websites, one concept immediately caught my eye: Papa-N-Son’s, a classic Chicago hot dog joint (in Augusta, GA) with the classic Chicago all-star line up including Vienna beef hot dogs, Italian sausage, Italian beef, meat-packed gyros, and those Greek salads that are great, in theory, but that I never order (what salad can compete with a Vienna dogs on a poppy seed bun or a gyros made by a guy who knows how to pronounce it?).
In the spirit of full disclosure, I’ll admit that my judgement was a bit skewed by my being a hungry, homesick Chicagoan living in Amish country… and that it was lunchtime when I encountered that classic Vienna picture that sets any Chicagoan salivating.
“My Dad is not only my business partner and my mentor,” said Dino Dakuras. “He’s my best friend.”
I talked to the owner, a young entrepreneur and fellow displaced Chicagoan named Dino Dakuras. After assuring me that no, they don’t deliver to PA, he explained how he had opened his restaurant 9 years ago as Dino’s Chicago Express. He refined the highly successful concept for 7 years (smart kid) before opening a second unit, and is now ready to offer franchises to an initial, select group. In preparation for franchising, he changed the restaurant name last year from “Dino’s Chicago Express” to “Papa-N-Son’s.”
Why Papa-N-Son’s? Here’s the Father’s Day part.
Where did the Papa-N-Son’s name come from?
It arose naturally from the close family and business relationship Dino has with his father, Bill Dakuras.
“My Dad is not only my business partner and my mentor,” said Dino. “He’s my best friend.”
How sweet is that? (Answer: sweet as marinated sweet peppers on an Italian beef, with enough au jus to make the roll hot & soggy.)
But family ties are more than sentimentality to restauranteurs like Dino & Bill Dakuras, who come from a Greek extended family deeply involved in the restaurant industry. It’s reflects their commitment to working together, sharing connections and information, and helping each other with a fierce loyalty.
Dino Dakuras regards that relationship extending to the owners he hopes to attract to the Papa-N-Son’s franchise “family.”
I was encouraged to hear that, because, in the end, the success of the Papa-N-Son’s franchise program will have as much to do with building strong relationships with their family of franchisees as it will be with serving great food.
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY! (belated)
Images: Papa-N-Son’s
Post from: Franchise Pick