how to be a marketing consultant
Beverly Tabbs
September 07, 2007
As a teenager, Mike Cady couldn't have known that learning to make a pizza would turn into a career. But now, this Rockford Powertrain accountant is heading back to the job he held as a teenager. Along with his wife, Jennifer, this Quad Cities native is the franchise owner of the new Happy Joe's Pizza and Ice Cream Parlor being built along East Riverside Boulevard.
His reasons were simple: He wanted to go into business for himself, and he remembered Happy Joe's as being a good company. Besides, the Bettendorf-based company had tossed around the idea of opening a Rockford store for years.
Now was the time.
"They're a great, family-owned franchise and on the move right now," Mike Cady said. "They seem to bring together fun for the children and good food for all."
Construction began this week on the city's first Happy Joe's, which is being built between Culver's and Riverside Community Bank, at 6795 E. Riverside Blvd. The 5,700-square-foot restaurant will open mid-November and employ 85 people. It is being built by Loves Park's Reitzel Construction.
The new store is among the first to offer the chain's new "Cafez" concept, which serves breakfast items such as omelette pizza and cinnamon rolls in addition to lunch and dinner.
The Rockford restaurant will seat more than 200 patrons and include dine-in, carryout or delivery service. Prices range from about $6 for a panini or $7 for a salad to between $15 and $22 for a pizza.
For now, this is the only Happy Joe's planned for Rockford.
But company president Larry Whitty, in town Wednesday for a ground-breaking ceremony, said he can see up to two more stores opening here eventually.
"There's probably room in the Rockford area for three," he said. "Make the first one go, then as the market supports it, evolve to two and three. We think this new Cafez concept is the legs for growth."
The nearest Happy Joe's is in Freeport.
The restaurant is known for specialty pizzas such as its taco pizza and chicken-alfredo pizza.
Its ice cream goodies have names such as "Creamy Hot Fudge Banana" and "Sugar Daddy Dish."
His reasons were simple: He wanted to go into business for himself, and he remembered Happy Joe's as being a good company. Besides, the Bettendorf-based company had tossed around the idea of opening a Rockford store for years.
Now was the time.
"They're a great, family-owned franchise and on the move right now," Mike Cady said. "They seem to bring together fun for the children and good food for all."
Construction began this week on the city's first Happy Joe's, which is being built between Culver's and Riverside Community Bank, at 6795 E. Riverside Blvd. The 5,700-square-foot restaurant will open mid-November and employ 85 people. It is being built by Loves Park's Reitzel Construction.
The new store is among the first to offer the chain's new "Cafez" concept, which serves breakfast items such as omelette pizza and cinnamon rolls in addition to lunch and dinner.
The Rockford restaurant will seat more than 200 patrons and include dine-in, carryout or delivery service. Prices range from about $6 for a panini or $7 for a salad to between $15 and $22 for a pizza.
For now, this is the only Happy Joe's planned for Rockford.
But company president Larry Whitty, in town Wednesday for a ground-breaking ceremony, said he can see up to two more stores opening here eventually.
"There's probably room in the Rockford area for three," he said. "Make the first one go, then as the market supports it, evolve to two and three. We think this new Cafez concept is the legs for growth."
The nearest Happy Joe's is in Freeport.
The restaurant is known for specialty pizzas such as its taco pizza and chicken-alfredo pizza.
Its ice cream goodies have names such as "Creamy Hot Fudge Banana" and "Sugar Daddy Dish."
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