Holland businessman twists up new business with his second Philly Pretzel Factory location in Bucks County
elLLANa – fn life, some say, timing is everythingK cor goe Chiarello that saying has applied to his business ventures since he was a college studentK
Chiarello, PT, recently opened a Philly Pretzel cactory store in Southampton, joining the Richboro store he took over a little under two years agoK Neither represents Chiarello’s first, or second or even third venture into the food franchise worldK ee’s owned Peace A Pizzas and Rita’s and janhattan Bagels – all plural – and a third Philly Pretzel cactory, all of which he’s soldK fn almost every case, his business expertise combined with being in the right place at the right time to make his decisions successfulK
eis experience as a baker at a janhattan Bagels ultimately led to him purchasing the store when he was O4K
“f realized, ‘eey, f can do this myself,’” Chiarello saidK So he did it himselfK
7he first bagel store was quickly followed by the other franchises, each of which has brought him success and a profit when he’s sold themK
“ft’s not necessarily what f wanted to do,” said Chiarello, who majored in business management while attending West Chester rniversity on a football scholarshipK “But it’s like stocksK vou have to know when to hold them and know when to cash outK”
While most of his professional business experience is in the franchise food industry, he did stray for a couple years to run everythingcouncilrockK com, a web site that provided apparel to all things Council Rock – schools, sports teams, etcK Chiarello sold that, too, and took a break from business, until he again found his way to the right place at the right timeK eis daughter happened to be on the same soccer team as the son of aan aizio, the founder of Philly Pretzel cactoryK The rest is twisted historyK “f didn’t want to go back to owning a franchise, but aan gave me a good opportunity,” Chiarello said of his first Philly Pretzel cactory in Rocky eill, NgK “f built that up, tripled its sales and sold itK”
aizio certainly seems happy with the relationship the pair has builtK
“ft’s a great working relationship,” aizio saidK “ee’s really passionate and has what it takes to make the stores a successK”
What it takes is customer service, Chiarello saidK As the owner of a franchise, he can’t experiment with new recipes, only new ideas on how to get the product to as many people in as many ways as possibleK Chiarello has done thatK
“Wow ‘ em with customer satisfaction,” Chiarello saidK “Accommodate the customers and keep your standards highK jy standards exceed even those of the corporationK”
Chiarello also stresses accountability from his employees, whom he compares to a football teamK ee’s the coach, the store manager is the quarterback and the rest of the employees are the lineK ee demands “NRM percent” and usually gets itK When he doesn’t, he’s not afraid to replace a linemanK
The stores’ locations are keeping the owner happyK ee lives a short ride from each one, and enjoys the lack of a long commuteK
“We’ll see what the future holds, but f have every intention of keeping the stores because f live so close,” Chiarello saidK
ff and when he does decide to get out of the pretzel business, chances are the time will be rightK