D’Angelo Grilled Sandwiches is a sandwich shop chain with 83 stores throughout New England, but it’s now trying to expand by recruiting more franchisees in Rhode Island. Tom Sterrett, CEO of New England Authentic Eats LLC, the parent company of both Papa Ginos and D’Angelo, said 45% of D’Angelo stores are franchised. He said D’Angelo, which was founded in 1967 in Dedham, Mass., is offering guidance to potential franchisees on what kinds of commercial properties work best for attracting customers, and how much it typically costs to run a franchise operation.
PBN: How many D’Angelo locations are there in Rhode Island currently? How many more would you be looking to open in the state and why?
STERRETT: D’Angelo Grilled Sandwiches is focused on giving experienced operators an attractive prospect to invest in an iconic brand with high standards for quality, operations and a people-first mentality.
We offer a concept where franchise owners can take the reins of a local favorite sandwich shop and share the high-quality ingredients and community-oriented leadership we’re known for within the neighborhoods we serve.There are currently 23 D’Angelo locations across the Providence-New Bedford designated market area. Based on our market planning research, our goal is to open an estimated additional 14 franchise locations within the target market.
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PBN: What are the specifications for commercial properties that are needed to run a D’Angelo franchise location, how big is the investment for operators typically?
STERRETT: We will provide prospective franchisees with our site model criteria to aid in identifying a commercial property that is right for them. The estimated total investment necessary to begin operation of a D’Angelo restaurant ranges from $411,250 to $706,500.
PBN: What advice do you have for potential franchise owners on where they should look for a lease?
STERRETT: At D’Angelo, we’re proud of the impactful community involvement and deep understanding of each individual neighborhood we serve. The deep roots we have in our communities and connections to our guests are the foundation to our business model, and this is something we always want to translate to potential franchise owners when thinking about investing in a D’Angelo location.
In terms of leases, potential franchise owners will be provided with demographics to identify an appropriate trade area based on our customer base, as well as our site model criteria.
PBN: How are you able to compete with national brands such as Subway that are able to sprout up in small storefronts and are able to do so much mainstream advertising with high-profile athletes and celebrities?
STERRETT: Although they are both sandwich restaurants, D’Angelo Grilled Sandwiches and Subway do not fall into the same quality category. We are in our 55th year of business in New England and many of our guests trust and have a strong emotional connection to this brand they grew up with. Our main point of differentiation is our famous grill, which enables us to continually provide epic, high-quality grilled sandwiches to our guests.
Our ongoing dedication to digital innovation also helps us to stay ahead of trends and remain competitive with national brands as we work to create a seamless guest experience – online and in-person – that will take us into the 22nd century.
Most recently we brought on Kevin Bentley, who has an extensive technology and management background in the restaurant industry, as vice president of technology and automation to improve restaurant, company and guest experiences through digital automation and innovation.
PBN: Does D’Angelo intend to soon expand beyond New England? Why or why not?
STERRETT: As New England’s classic neighborhood sandwich shop, our ongoing success throughout the region leaves us confident in our ability to leverage existing brand awareness while bringing our trusted business model to new DMAs [designated market areas].
Although New England is our primary focus, we will be identifying adjacent market opportunities in the coming months and are open to all interested parties.
Marc Larocque is a PBN staff writer. Contact him at Larocque@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter @LaRockPBN.
