Interview with CEO and Founder of Johnnie's Dog House®
April 24, 2008 - Interview with Todd Chusid, CEO and Founder of Johnnie's Dog House® by Don Daszkowski
"Johnnie" is the brainchild of Todd Chusid, CEO and Founder of Johnnie's Dog House Franchise. Johnnie is a fictitious little boy from the 1940's whose sole purpose in life was to create an establishment for his friends with tastes from their hometown or the experience of hot dogs from parts of the world that they may have never traveled.
Johnnie's Dog House is a new and upcoming hot dog franchise. They offer 2 different types of franchise locations A) Johnnie's Fast Casual Restaurant and B) Johnnie's Mobile Kiosk. These mobile kiosk locations can be opened at locations such as Home Depot, Lowes, airports and college campuses. We had the pleasure of interviewing Todd and finding out more about this new and exciting franchise. You can find out more about Johnnie's by visiting our interview with Todd Chusid.
Q: Hi, Todd. Please tell us a little about your background and the history of Johnnie's Dog House.
Prior to launching Johnnie's Dog House, I spent over 20 years in strategic consulting, application services, technology solutions, and I managed services to Global 100 companies. My focus was on improving revenue and profit by implementing global marketplace solutions for companies such as Wal-Mart, Dell, Campbell Soup Company, and Verizon Wireless.
During my travels I always made a point of sampling hot dogs in every country and state that I visited and I started to consider myself a connoisseur of sorts. It was hard to come back and report who had the best because every city, every country, and every culture that I encountered had good hot dogs, but it was the discovery of toppings specific to that area that made it a good hot dog.
Q: Is Johnnie's Dog House named after a real person?
Johnnie is a fictitious little boy - an ornery little boy from the 1940's whose sole purpose in life was to create an establishment for his friends with tastes from their hometown or the experience of hot dogs from parts of the world that they may have never traveled. Because he grew up in the 1940's, Johnnie added that nostalgic décor to each restaurant location and his favorite vintage photographs from different generations of hot dog lovers.
Q: You seem to be having much success in the food industry. What made you choose hot dogs?
My goal is to create a nationally recognized brand that embraced our love of hot dogs. I don't think anybody has tackled hot dog franchising this way. People have had a New York-style hot dog and tried to push it on a national level, but we are providing our customers with tastes from their hometown or the experience of hot dogs from parts of the world that they may have never traveled.
Hot dogs also enjoy strong margins, are universally loved, and are easy to prepare and store. That is the practical and smarter side of the business.
Q: Can you tell us the differences between a Johnnie's Fast Casual Restaurant and a Johnnie's Mobile Kiosk?
Johnnie's Dog House has several business formats that compete in the booming franchise food industry. Our Fast Casual Restaurant offers a welcoming entrance, nostalgic décor, and unique historical photographs from different generations which decorate the dining area. This business offering is a natural fit in residential business districts, town & lifestyle centers, and beach & shore communities. Our kiosk solution is well suited to locations such as airports, college campuses, malls, home improvement centers, retail outlets, hotels, tourist attractions, shopping centers, and transportation centers.
Q: Is it true that you have agreements with home improvement stores such as Home Depot and Lowes to open Johnnie's at these locations? Can you explain how this works?
By establishing a Partnership with Best Vendors and Chameleon Carts, Johnnie's Dog House has been awarded the rights to develop and market its kiosk franchise solution at Home Depot and Lowe's across the United States. You can be in business in about 12 weeks, avoid the large expenses associated with building your own location and you can take full advantage of Home Depot's or Lowe's traffic.
Q: Where do you see Johnnie's in the next 5-10 years?
As we establish and prove ourselves in a variety of markets and venues in the next 2 or 3 years, it leads us to our goal of establishing a nationally recognized brand. The next logical step will be to expand the Johnnie's Dog House brand to a global level. I believe these goals are obtainable because of our competitive advantage - having our brand become a recognized destination in a community, while providing franchisees with a multi-faceted business model creates.
Don Daszkowski, President and CEO of Business Mart, Inc. and the Franchise Buyers Network has owned and operated many of his own businesses for the last 14 years. He has successfully started and sold 5 of his own businesses and now dedicates his time to helping entrepreneurs start, manage and buy businesses and franchises. BusinessMart.com has become the fastest growing business for sale and franchise search engine. FranchiseBuyersNetwork.com, which is owned and operated by Business Mart, Inc., helps individuals looking for information on opening a franchise or business opportunity and guides them on a path to success!
About Johnnie's Dog House® Franchising, LLC
The Johnnie's Dog House franchise offers multiple business formats that compete in the booming fast-casual restaurant business, both locally and nationally. The Fast-Casual Restaurant is a natural fit for Residential Business Districts, Town and Lifestyle Centers, Beach and Shore Communities, and College Campuses. This business format offers franchisees multiple channels of revenue which include dine-in/carry-out, catering, and special events at each of their locations. The Mobile Kiosk Solution offers the style and selection of the Johnnie's Dog House brand, capable of satisfying large crowds anywhere, certified for indoor use, and is built with a ruggedness and utility. The Mobile Kiosk Solution is well suited to locations such as Airports, Malls, Transportation Centers, and Home Improvement Stores.
For more information, contact franchise@jdoghouse.com or visit their website at
www.JOHNNIESDOGHOUSE.com.
