Cousins Subs Hits The Road, Gets The Business

MENOMONEE FALLS, WISCONSIN (Friday, July 09, 1999) - As franchisee Don Morello sees it, there are two kinds of people: customers and future customers. The only difference is that "future customers have not yet tasted a Cousins' sub." But Morello will make sure they do, and he's not just waiting for new customers to walk into his stores.
Instead, he and his partner--wife Jean--took their fresh-made subs on the road, revved up the appetites of over 50,000 bikers recently at Harley-Davidson's 95th Anniversary Fest in Milwaukee, fed larger numbers of hungry Green Bay Packers fans at Lambeau Field and concert goers at Alpine Valley Music Theater, whet the taste buds of visitors to Magic Waters, Rockford Ice Arena, Rockford Speedway, Milwaukee Summer Fest, and a host of sporting events and fairs throughout Northern Illinois and South Wisconsin.

Area developers with 14 franchises (seven of which are theirs), the Morellos are frontrunners in the alternative markets race. They are setting a benchmark for other area developers responsible for the 135 Cousins franchises in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Texas and Arizona.

Alternative venues have been so successful--boosting revenues 20 to 25% for some Cousins franchisees--that the franchisor has set up an Alternative Venue Task Force to collect information, explore additional channels and encourage all franchisees to participate. "A good majority of franchisees are active in this arena," reports Dave Kilby, executive vice president of Cousins Subs Systems, Inc. "Most are involved in school lunch programs; many are catering functions and actively pursuing special events."

But profits are another story. "Schools and non-profit groups usually demand discounts," Kilby says. "That cuts into the bottom line, as do the fees franchisees must pay to set up at events."

These venues also require long hours of planning, preparation and hard work, Morello adds. "But while profits aren't great, sales volume is. More importantly, Cousins gets great exposure. And once they try our subs, they're hooked. That's when they become customers." His latest innovation is a colorful, custom-crafted vehicle featuring life-size photos of Cousins' eight-foot party sub on the refrigeration unit, above which is a huge, lighted telephone. "It's a big hit at corporate meetings, company picnics and just driving down the street," says Morello, Cousins' 1997 Franchisee of the Year.

The vehicle served pre-made subs to 4,000 at Madison's Meriter Hospital Run May 7 and then began regular lunch routes at industrial complexes, major companies, factories and select locations. It also will be available to other franchisees.

Cousins executives and the Alternative Venues Task Force are closely watching the new subs-on-wheels, eager to deploy a fleet of such vehicles should Morello's gambit prove as successful as his past marketing exploits.

Fishman Public Relations, Inc. 847-945-1300

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