Meet Hell’s top franchisee
Queenie Qin has owned the country’s most successful Hell Pizza store for nearly a decade.
Qin started working at the pizza chain’s first store, Hell Pizza Cuba St in Wellington, when she turned 24.
Within two years, she had climbed up the ladder from taking orders and making pizzas to store manager. ‘‘The job is repetitive and has a high stress level. So when you’re doing the same thing every single day, you can progress pretty quickly,’’ Qin said.
By age 26, with the help of her parents and husband, she was able to pull together a $35,000 deposit for the $760,000 bank loan to buy the store. ‘‘I made a promise this store would be at the top of the leaderboard,’’ Qin said.
Last year, the store made $2 million in sales – its biggest year yet. Qin said she paid herself $20 an hour and took a share of the profit.
She credited the store’s success to her staff, who were treated with a $600 bottle of champagne when
the store made $60,000 in its busiest week last year.
Being close to big universities Victoria and Massey also made the Hell Pizza a popular spot.
The store made about 400 pizzas a night for its large student customer base and its busiest time of year was in February, when students returned for university.
‘‘Location is very important. But we’re also very conscious about maintaining our quality. I always get the staff to weigh the dough to ensure customers are receiving a $21 pizza not a $5 pizza.
But consistently staying at the top of her game had not come without its downsides.
‘‘I’m constantly tired, like every day. I’m a workaholic. My staff work hard too but I like to reward them with social drinks and encourage them with a positive environment.’’
Qin said in the early days she would work up to 80 hours a week to pay off the store loan.
Despite having repaid the business loan last year, Qin continues to work six nights a week, allowing her to spend the day with her two children.
Two of her five managers had been at the store nearly as long as Qin.
‘‘I’m very lucky that my managers have been with me for so long. They started out as drivers and we’ve grown up together, we’re best friends.
Qin said she was open to new opportunities, including buying a second store or working at Hell Pizza’s head office.
‘‘I’ve been here forever, I don’t want to die in Hell,’’ she said.
‘‘I made a promise this store would be at the top of the leaderboard.’’
Queenie Qin