Sessano’s Cafe has the right moves

There’s an old saying about the person who stepped in “it” and came up smelling like roses. Then there is the opposite – the person who didn’t step in anything and came up smelling like “it.”

In the world of business, luck – both good luck and bad luck – can have as much to do with the fiscal bottom line as just about anything else.

Sometimes, all of the planning, all of the quality control, all of the customer service, all of the advertising and marketing can’t overcome bad breaks … or bad associations.

Take, for example, the recent stories about Papa John’s Pizza, the extremely successful chain of pizza shops. The run of success that has been seen through much of the last 10 years came to a stunning halt in recent months. Sales have dropped considerably and the company’s stock plummeted 10 percent in one day last week.

Did the quality of Papa John’s pizza fall off? Did service falter?

Papa John’s CEO John Schnatter wasted little time in pointing the finger of blame.

“The NFL has hurt us,” he said, alluding to the fact that his company’s seven-year stand as the Official Pizza of the NFL and one of the league’s largest corporate sponsors has caused customers to turn away. “More importantly, by not resolving the current debacle to the owners’ and players’ satisfaction, NFL leadership has hurt Papa John’s shareholders.”

Schnatter was referring to the refusal of many NFL players to stand for the National Anthem, a controversy started last year by then-San Francisco 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Some fans have turned away from attending NFL games, turned off their televisions during telecasts … and, apparently, turned away from the Official Pizza of the NFL.

Papa John’s COO and President Steve Ritchie was even more direct in his criticism when he said, “Another year of unexpected decline in viewership of the NFL, combined with significant negative consumer sentiment of our association with the league has hurt the company’s sales outlook.”

Papa John’s has pulled some of its advertising in NFL games and Schnatter heaped the final blame on NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell when he said, “Leadership starts at the top, and this is an example of poor leadership.”

It is unfortunate to see any business suffer, due to circumstances beyond their control. But another old saying comes to play in this instance: “Lay down with dogs and wake up with fleas.”

On the other side of the ledger is a local story involving a small business that grew slowly thanks to hard work and a good product. Suddenly, earlier this year, profits soared -thanks to an odd stroke of luck.

We are talking about Sessano’s Café, the string of small sandwich shops in and around Montgomery County.

After losing its original location on Markley Street in Logan Square due to construction, Sessano’s depended on one small shop across from the Montgomery County Courthouse. Another location was added on Crooked Lane in King of Prussia.

This year a third location opened, as Sessano’s took over the food and beverage operation in the clubhouse at Raven’s Claw Golf Club in Limerick. Just recently, the fourth was added – Sessano’s at Garret Hill Pizza on Conestoga Road on the Main Line.

Three of the locations do a nice, steady business. The fourth, across from the Courthouse, went off the charts when the Bill Cosby trial brought a national media circus to town. And it flourished throughout the long trial, and as the jury deliberated for five more days.

Sessano’s owner, Santino Ciccaglione, was unable to hide a wry smile after a mistrial was declared and another trial was ordered.

“Another trial is fine with me,” said Ciccaglione, a jocular sort who enjoys good food and good people. “When that day comes, we will be ready for them.”

That kind of good fortune falls under the heading of windfall profit. It’s good to see the “little man” benefit from being in the right place at the right time.

Of course, the fact that Sessano’s might have the best roast pork sandwich in the region doesn’t hurt. That fact will be verified when the next Cosby trial starts … and the line once again stretches out the door of the little sandwich shop at the corner of Airy and Swede Streets in Norristown. Tony Leodora is president of TL Golf Services, host of the weekly GolfTalk Live radio show on WNTP 990-AM and host of the Traveling Golfer television show — as well as editor of GolfStyles magazine. He is former sports editor of The Times Herald. Send comments to tlgolfservices@aol.com.