It's been a good run

2/4/2011 1:59:23 PM

2/4/2011 1:59:46 PM

What are your plans now?

[Edited on February 4, 2011 at 2:00 PM. Reason : That sucks. My condolances, sir.]

2/4/2011 2:00:18 PM

for real?

2/4/2011 2:00:45 PM

InBeforeThisThreadGetsGood.

2/4/2011 2:01:03 PM

ashley furniture has been going out of business for about half a year now

2/4/2011 2:01:36 PM

'add to my topics'

2/4/2011 2:01:40 PM

GOOB

2/4/2011 2:01:43 PM

*Like*

2/4/2011 2:02:20 PM

I saw this coming after all the retarded shit he posted in the groupon hurts small businesses thread.

2/4/2011 2:02:39 PM

what happened to the cheese fry pizza idea?

2/4/2011 2:02:50 PM

The location just isn't good! They built the shopping center so stupid

2/4/2011 2:03:00 PM

Quote :

"what happened to the cheese fry pizza idea?"

Nothin happened to it. I made a BANGIN french fry pizza! I'll have to make you one personally

2/4/2011 2:04:02 PM

gross

2/4/2011 2:04:45 PM

Quote :

"I saw this coming after all the retarded shit he posted in the groupon hurts small businesses thread."

I, too, saw this coming but still from one small business owner to another, I'm sorry for your loss.

2/4/2011 2:05:08 PM

As someone who was unemployed for a little while, this sucks.

As a TWW user tired of reading threads about a pizza place, this doesn't suck.

2/4/2011 2:06:38 PM

Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place

2/4/2011 2:09:09 PM

2/4/2011 2:09:15 PM

Where is this?

2/4/2011 2:10:03 PM

did the location kill you? can you think of any other reasons?

2/4/2011 2:10:17 PM

Quote :

"GeniuSxBoY All American 3562 Posts user info edit post Quote : "whats more amazing than him showing up is you making a minimum wage worker wait 17 days to get a check. and dont pull that in between pay period bullshit. as someone who has owned a business for 10 years, i can promise you that you will be a failure, just based on the bs ive read here. shame youre gonna bring your poor grandma (bank) down with you. youre a dickhead. " I challenge you, Mr Grace. If I last 10 years, you sign over your "profitable" business of 16 years to me. You seem so sure of yourself, why don't you put your business where your mouth is? 9/21/2010 5:13:16 PM"

so I guess that bet is over now?

2/4/2011 2:14:25 PM

i asked where you were located in another thread and i don't recall getting a response

i think you're not in raleighwood...if you are/were, you should have told me

2/4/2011 2:14:44 PM

yeh, it's impossible to make it when I'm in a town of military people. All of my regulars leave after 6 months!

Then you got pizza hut and papa johns hogging up all the advertisement and undercutting the small business owners.

Then you got the government that makes it illegal to put advertisement on cars, mailboxes, and on people's doors in apartment complexes

2/4/2011 2:15:43 PM

i think he's in virginia beach

[Edited on February 4, 2011 at 2:16 PM. Reason : waaaaaaaaaaa capitalism]

2/4/2011 2:16:03 PM

look at it this way...

more time to go fishin

2/4/2011 2:17:00 PM

Quote :

"so I guess that bet is over now?"

he never took the bet

2/4/2011 2:17:45 PM

or the entire country is already oversaturated with pizza places

2/4/2011 2:18:23 PM

FYI, From what I remember, Hillsborough Street in Raleigh is in need of a pizza place.

2/4/2011 2:19:58 PM

Quote :

"look at it this way... more time to go fishin"

Uhm. I owe a LOT of people a LOT of money. I wasted 4 years of my life and I have nothing to show for it. Essentially, I had to pay everyone else to work my ass off. Yay capitalism.

2/4/2011 2:20:24 PM

No golden parachute?

Damn

2/4/2011 2:20:39 PM

Did you do demographic research before you opened a pizza place in VA Beach?

Everybody there is either military, poor or both.

[Edited on February 4, 2011 at 2:21 PM. Reason : g]

2/4/2011 2:20:42 PM

no, Hillsborough St. needs a place that sells cereal bowl by bowl

2/4/2011 2:21:57 PM

Quote :

"FYI, From what I remember, Hillsborough Street in Raleigh is in need of a pizza place."

hahahahaha

2/4/2011 2:22:22 PM

Quote :

"Did you do demographic research before you opened a pizza place in VA Beach? Everybody there is either military, poor or both."

I figured military are young, stupid and wouldn't like to cook. They also don't care what they eat thanks to the shitty military food so they just buy cheap shit that fills them up for $5

2/4/2011 2:23:17 PM

Killers of small business:
1: Mismanagement - not keeping your inventory at tight levels, not making the most of your advertising opportunities, not keeping your cost of labor low, not paying bills on time, not keeping your location in a condition that is acceptable to your customers, etc etc...
2: Poor customer service - doesn't matter how good your price is or how good your product is, if your customers hate your level of service or your staff, they won't be back.
.
.
.
.
.
.
52: Poor location - customers will still come to you as long as you are not guilty of the prior 51 reasons.




sorry, not to be a dick, but i see "poor location" cited way too often when other factors are to blame

[Edited on February 4, 2011 at 2:26 PM. Reason : ]

2/4/2011 2:23:30 PM

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

This sucks

I was pulling for you man

2/4/2011 2:23:31 PM

^^ i think 1 and 2 are true but i don't think location is as far down the list as you say

location matters a lot. not as much as the first 2, but it isn't THAT far down on the list.

i mean i agree people will blame it on location, but location does matter. but yea, it isn't the only factor. nor THE most important. but i'd say its pretty important.

[Edited on February 4, 2011 at 2:27 PM. Reason : .]

2/4/2011 2:26:26 PM

Location is like #1 if you're going for that downtown as fuck vibe

2/4/2011 2:27:01 PM

Quote :

"Killers of small business: 1: Mismanagement - not keeping your inventory at tight levels, not making the most of your advertising opportunities, not keeping your cost of labor low, not paying bills on time, not keeping your location in a condition that is acceptable to your customers, etc etc... 2: Poor customer service - doesn't matter how good your price is or how good your product is, if your customers hate your level of service or your staff, they won't be back. . . . . . . 52: Poor location - customers will still come to you as long as you are not guilty of the prior 51 reasons."

3. Government and Taxes
4. Fees and Licenses
5. Health, Fire, FOG program crap, code enforcement
6. Unnecessary insurance costs
7. Minimum wage
8. Utilities
9. Cost of Advertisements
10. Equipment failure and maintenance

Try paying for all of that while making profit on a $5 pizza.

[Edited on February 4, 2011 at 2:28 PM. Reason : .]

2/4/2011 2:27:55 PM

Quote :

"or the entire country is already oversaturated with pizza places"

Hmmm, I don't know about that. It's oversaturated with shitty pizza places. People will come from all over for a legitimately good pizza.

But here I go again, being a pizza snob.

2/4/2011 2:28:11 PM

Did you ever win your fight against the people who printed your coupon incorrectly?

2/4/2011 2:29:47 PM

2/4/2011 2:31:04 PM

Quote :

"Try paying for all of that while making profit on a $5 pizza."

well yea

that would be why people don't go into the food industry. owning a restaurant is tough shit. you hear horror stories all the time. it isn't easy to open a successful restaurant. and if you do, it isn't easy to maintain it. that is why there is so much turnover and failure. there are major, major drawbacks. as much as i love going to good restaurants, i'd never want to be in that business. too risky. too scary. too costly.

anyway sorry you're going out of business. sucks to invest yourself into something much and then not succeed.

[Edited on February 4, 2011 at 2:33 PM. Reason : .]

2/4/2011 2:31:48 PM

Quote :

"yeh, it's impossible to make it when I'm in a town of military people."

I dunno about all this. The Papa John's in Ft Bragg is the largest (in sales) in the SE US, maybe the whole thing. Does over $50K a week.

2/4/2011 2:33:15 PM

Papa John's also has a MUCH larger budget than him. And they are a recognizable name

They can advertise on TV, radio etc


Can't compare the two

2/4/2011 2:34:11 PM

Quote :

"52"

I was exaggerating to prove the point of it being typically blamed too often.

Truth of the matter is when you own or work at place that you are so closely tied to, sometimes you just get too close to the issues afflicting the business to see them or even be able to recognize the solutions.

I mean, look at the places shown on Kitchen Nightmares and shows of that vein, many times they don't even realize that their food just isn't that good, or their costs are so out of hand because of the size of the menu, the staff sucks, or <insert reason here>. Sometimes you just get too close to the issues to make the tough calls.

2/4/2011 2:35:35 PM

iop1 and

WAH WAHHHHHHHHHH

2/4/2011 2:35:36 PM

No, I won against the lawsuit from when the air condition guy fucked me over! It cost me $755 to file and pay a lawyer to fight. The legal system didn't get me my money NOR did they punish him for his wrongdoing.

There's no honor or integrity in business

2/4/2011 2:36:28 PM

you should donate all your leftover pizzas to tww

2/4/2011 2:36:42 PM

I think I asked this before but don't remember the answer...but what was your restaurant experience before going into this venture?? I remember you putting a lot of time into figuring out the recipe for the "perfect pizza", but I can't remember what you did before that.

I think my previous question pertained to your bar experience.

Either way...I forgot the answers to either question.

To other posters...location is very important, but it can be overcome if you put out a good product, at a good price, and you run your restaurant well. Just reading from what you posted on t-dub, I don't think you knew what you were getting into. This coming from someone who has helped open three bars/restaurants and consulted on several others. I think 90% of people don't know what they're getting into when they open up a restaurant. I personally think it's one of the riskiest things a business owner can do.

I feel for you and I hope it doesn't set you back too much and you can work your way out of it.

In addition to the previous questions presented...what is your plan now?

2/4/2011 2:37:16 PM